Terrion Arnold’s time at Alabama ended with him ranked among this year’s top prospects at cornerback, but the outlook wasn’t always so rosy in Tuscaloosa.
Arnold was benched during the 2022 season in favor of Eli Ricks, who is now a member of the Eagles, and he said at the Scouting Combine on Thursday that being demoted helped vault him to a higher level in the long run. Arnold was an All-American last year and he’s set his sights on even bigger things as a professional.
“I got benched and I’ve been telling all the NFL teams that right there, it changed everything for me,” Arnold said, via Stephen Holder of ESPN.com. “I kind of like to say I had my Michael Jordan moment. I write it down every day. Eli Ricks, that’s my brother. But when I got benched and replaced [by] him, it motivated me. I write it down every day and say I refuse to ever let that happen again. And that’s what’s going to lead me and take me to getting that gold jacket, which is the Hall of Fame. The gold jacket, and I ain’t talking about the one you could buy.”
It’s a long way to Canton, but Arnold’s rebound in 2023 is likely to push him off the board early to a team that will be hoping he makes good on that prediction.
