“Nick Saban is there to give Arch Manning his monthly payment”: NFL Twitter jokes that Alabama HC had an ulterior motive behind attending Eli and Peyton Manning’s nephew’s basketball game

Arch Manning has been making waves not only on the gridiron, but also on the hardwood. Last Friday, Alabama HC Nick Saban brought his staff to watch Arch’s basketball game. 

Nick Saban pulled up to watch five-star QB Arch Manning play ball 👀

(via @inthegymhoops_)pic.twitter.com/uaP9U1qtYd

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 22, 2022

Arch Manning has been heavily touted to be the next in the lineage of legendary Manning QBs. His grandfather Archie Manning was a QB in the NFL for 13 seasons, and even made his way into the New Orleans Saints’ Hall of Fame.

And of course, the reputation of his uncles, Peyton and Eli, precedes them. Both of them were amongst the league’s best in the 2000s and early 2010s, and each has two Super Bowl titles to their name.

Needless to say, there is a lot of pressure on the 17 year old. And so far, he has handled it impressively. He is one of the top prospects in the class of 2023 and, according to 247 Sports, already has offers from Alabama, Ole Miss, Georgia, and Texas.

In the summer of 2021, Arch visited all four schools plus Clemson, but actually made two visits to Tuscaloosa in the year. After initially visiting the facility, he was also present for their game against Ole Miss later on.

For Bama HC Nick Saban, who is obviously reeling from his heartbreaking National Championship loss to Kirby Smart’s Bulldogs, this could definitely be good news as he looks to maintain the high standard of his offense in the near future.

Nick Saban watches Arch Manning’s basketball game and the internet hilariously reacts

On top of playing for the Isidore Newman football team, the 6-foot-4, 215-pound junior also features in the basketball squad. To express his interest and get a better look at Arch, Saban actually showed up for his basketball game last Friday.

And he wasn’t the first. Last week, Kirby Smart and his staff came to watch him play but made relatively less waves in the media.

After seeing that Saban made the trip to New Orleans just to catch this game, NFL fans couldn’t help but make the classic high school sports recruiting joke that some under-the-table business must have been going on.

He’s there to give him his monthly payment

— C Wood Stan (@rocketsszn13) January 22, 2022

While people may be split over whether it makes sense for a top prospect to “lose focus” on his main sport, Manning’s commitment to basketball could prove useful by helping fine-tune elements of his athleticism, perhaps his lateral quickness.

And so far, it hasn’t appeared to be detrimental to his football career. This season, he threw for 1,371 yards and 17 touchdowns, so it’s safe to say he’ll be a hot commodity in the recruiting world.

Also read: “Peyton Manning out in Green Bay to watch the Broncos future QB?”: NFL fans believe Aaron Rodgers is being scouted by Broncos hofer to take over the reigns in Denver