Florida Gators Make Top 11 for SI's No. 3 Safety Terrion Arnold
The Florida Gators have cracked the top 11 schools for John Paul II Catholic (Tallahassee, Fla.) defensive back Terrion Arnold, the nation's No. 3 safety and No. 41 overall prospect according to Sports Illustrated All-American.
Florida is joined by Alabama, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Georgia Tech, Southern California, Oklahoma, Miami, Tennessee, and Texas A&M on Arnold's not-so-shortlist. "As most people know, I have been taking my recruitment slow and trying to find the best fit for me," Arnold said in his tweet.
The Gators sent an offer Arnold's way last October, following up with an offer to play basketball on April 8th.
Standing at 6-2, 187 lbs., Arnold is an all-around safety prospect with elite skills in multiple departments. Possessing ideal length and rangy athleticism, Arnold is capable of serving as a ball-hawk in deep coverages, while also twitchy and physical enough to play within the tackle box and on the edges to blitz and defend the run, and in the flats to cover slots and tight ends. Arnold has reportedly clocked a 10.7-second 100-meter dash.
Arnold racked up 103 tackles, an interception, and a sack defensively in 2019, while also seeing snaps at wide receiver. Playing point guard in basketball, Arnold averaged 8.8 points, 3.3 assists, four rebounds, 2.2 steals, and half a block per game in 24 games for JPCII as a junior.
The Gators already have commitments from two safeties in the 2021 class: No. 5 safety Corey Collier Jr. (Miami Palmetto, Fla.) and Donovan McMillon (Peters Township - Canonsburg, Pa.)., along with No. 1 cornerback Jason Marshall Jr. (Miami Palmetto, Fla.), cornerback Jordan Young (Gaither - Tampa, Fla.) and No. 8 nickel cornerback Dakota Mitchell (Winter Park, Fla.) to fill out the secondary. The Gators are set to graduate four safeties after the 2020 season.
Arnold is close with fellow Gators priority target, IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) linebacker Xavian Sorey Jr., who hails from Graceville, Fla., about an hour and a half away from Tallahassee. Sorey, the No. 2 linebacker and No. 17 overall prospect in the class of 2021, named the Gators in his top five schools on June 6th.
Below, you can find a snippet of Arnold's Sports Illustrated All-American scouting report.
Bottom Line: Arnold deserves to be considered among the nation’s best safety prospects because he proves to be instinctive, powerful and dynamic athletically. He takes the proper angles, is relentless in pursuit of the ball-carrier, a big hitter and great at tracking the football once it’s in the air.