As he learns to hone his craft, Terrion Arnold will be a great player for Alabama football.
He has had good and bad moments in nine games, including six starts as a cornerback. Arnold, a redshirt freshman from Tallahassee, Fla., won the starting corner job opposite Kool-Aid McKinstry over Khyree Jackson and Eli Ricks in fall camp.
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The 6-foot, 188-pounder arrived as a five-star in the 2021 class as one of the nation’s top safety prospects.
Alabama flipped him to cornerback, and Arnold stands in the top 10 for total tackles on defense (42).
He has 31 solo tackles, which is good for fourth-most on the team. Arnold also has a tackle for loss, six pass breakups, and an interception. He is a semifinalist for the Shaun Alexander Freshman Player of the Year honor. Arnold stepped up against Ole Miss after Eli Ricks suffered an injury, totaling 10 tackles (nine solo tackles) and two breakups. He produced good moments in Alabama’s 30-24 victory, but Saban highlighted an area where Arnold needs to improve going forward.
“I think Terrion Arnold plays well when he plays with good technique,” Saban said Monday.
“I think when he has bad habits in his technique, which I am not going to get into specifically, he allows the other guy to take advantage of him on releases and it does not always put him in a good position to play the ball. He played better as the game went on, so the guy has been a starter for us for half the season. He has the experience, he should be able to play with confidence, and we have confidence in him. He has to stay focused on doing things correctly because it helps him to put himself in a better position.”
Arnold has an opportunity to clean up his technique Saturday against Austin Peay and next week versus Auburn.
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Stephen M. Smith is the managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
