The University of Alabama signed him as a five-star athlete in 2021, but Terrion Arnold was primarily a safety in high school from Tallahassee, Fla.
He was forced into playing cornerback out of necessity last year, but he took on the challenge. Arnold, contrary to popular belief, succeeded as a cornerback in his redshirt freshman season. He took coaching from Travaris Robinson and became an SEC All-Freshman and a Freshman All-American selection. The 6-foot, 196-pounder collected 45 tackles, eight pass breakups, and an interception. He’s taking marquee steps as a third-year player, becoming a leader in the secondary and a lockdown defender.
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Arnold has a team-high five breakups and an interception.
He’s totaled 28 tackles — including 2.5 for loss — in five games. Arnold endured growing pains, but a mark of his maturity is how he’s handled tough coaching from Nick Saban. Saban, for the first time in a couple of years, returned to passionately chewing out players and coaches versus Mississippi State. Arnold was one of the players that got chewed out. Some know how to not take Saban’s words to heart; however, others crumble under it. Arnold explained beautifully on Tuesday about how he deals with it.
“You have to ask questions because you have to see what he wants to adjust the field,” Arnold said about handling hard coaching from Saban. “When it came to me, I was jogging off the field. I was like, ‘Dang, boy he looks mad. He’s about to give to somebody.’ And then, I’m like ‘Oh, it’s me.’ He was telling me to time up the blitz on the motion, and I know y’all heard what he said. When he said that, it was one of those things where you do not hear how he’s saying it but hear what he’s saying.”
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Arnold stated players who come to Alabama need to be able to take hard coaching. Coach Saban comes at guys in different, but the goal is to make them better. Arnold understands it and uses that to catapult him into a marquee cornerback.
He has an intense matchup with Texas A&M’s wide receiver room. Arnold will be prepared for Saturday’s challenge.
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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.
