Ranking the Contenders: Terrion Arnold
A basketball standout in addition to being a football star, safety Terrion Arnold has plenty of options. Still, just three colleges figure to have a legitimate chance at landing the two-sport athlete’s commitment. Others are in the mix on the periphery, sure, but Rivals.com has cut through the noise to rank the three actual contenders in order of their chances to land his letter of intent.
FARRELL: Issuing new ratings after further review
1. ALABAMA
Arnold is a priority target for the Crimson Tide and is thought to be an Alabama lean as things stand today. The only catch here is that the four-star safety hasn’t visited Tuscaloosa since February's junior day event. The longer the recruiting dead period forced into place by the Covid-19 crisis drags on, the worse it is for Nick Saban and company. In a normal year, Arnold may have already committed to Alabama. This is no normal year, however, so staying closer to home may be starting to look appealing. The pecking order here could change quickly.
2. FLORIDA STATE
The comfortable, close-to-home option, Florida State boasts a campus located less than eight miles away from Arnold’s high school. That kind of short commute is especially appealing during a global pandemic, so it wouldn’t be difficult to see the logic behind a commitment to the Seminoles. Still, Mike Norvell is yet to coach a game in Tallahassee, so the first-year head coach is selling a dream instead of results. That makes going head-to-head with a modern dynasty like Alabama difficult. Florida State is definitely alive in this race, however, and it might not trail by as much as some believe.
3. FLORIDA
Simply put, the Gators are a long shot. That said, the four-star defensive back visited Gainesville in early March, marking his last campus visit before the shutdown. UF has plenty of work left to do, however, as it seems like FSU will be the choice if Arnold opts for an in-state option. The Gators are running in a distant third and will need a major plot twist to change that.