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Published Jan 28, 2021
Who will make Terrion Arnold feel most like family?
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Chad Simmons  •  Rivals.com
Recruiting Analyst
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@ChadSimmons_

Terrion Arnold is taking his recruitment to the wire.

All are awaiting for February 3, at 3:30pm ET, to find out if Alabama, Florida or Georgia will be the choice.

The 6-foot-1, 191 pound safety out of Tallahassee (Fla.) Saint John Paul II Catholic is a top 50 player in the country that has stayed the course with his plan. He was never thinking about signing during the Early Signing Period, he always had his sites set to sign in February 2021, and that time is approaching quickly.

Arnold is ready.

"It has really been an exciting process to watch," said John Paul II Catholic head football coach Ed Hill. "I have coached Terrion for a very long time, and I have gotten to watch him grow and mature, and go through this recruiting process.

"I've told him to enjoy the ride while you can because this part is still fun, but it will all be about business soon.

"He has taken his time, he has handled things in a very respectful way with the college coaches, he has done it all by the book, and he is now to the point that he is making sure of his decision."

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Of course when you have a recruit like Arnold, coaches are usually in the office weekly, the high school coach is involved with in-home visits, and things of that nature, but not this cycle. The pandemic has shutdown face-to-face contact down since March 2020, so coach Arnold has been busy over the phone.

Two of the three finalists have gone through coach Hill a little more.

"I would say over the last month to month and a half, things have really gotten busy for me. Coaches from Alabama and Georgia have done a phenomenal job reaching out to me two to three times a week, trying to keep tabs on Terrion, doing their homework, asking if there is anything else they can do, and things like that.

"They have talked to me about him as a student, asked for his academics and things of that nature, so I cannot say enough about the way Alabama and Georgia coaches have recruited him.

"Florida has not called me as much or gone through me the same way they have, so they may be doing things a little differently. With Georgia and Alabama, they have gone a lot more through me, talked with his mom, his grandfather, and all that, but Florida I guess has gone more directly to Terrion.

"It is just different, so I can only really speak on Alabama and Georgia, and I can say it is easy to see why they are two of the top programs in the country. They do things right."

Hill is likely to be one of the first to know when Arnold makes his decision. That is still being processed right now by the national talent, but what Hill does know, is what his star student-athlete will base his decision on.

"He will look at a lot of things, and he has along the way, but it has always been about family for him," said coach Hill. "The school that makes him feel most about family will be the one he signs with.

"Every time he plays a football game or a basketball game, you see mom, grandparents, cousins, and all his family in the stands, and that is the feeling he wants with his college. He is looking for that next home, so it has to feel that way to him.

"Terrion has never wanted coaches to sell their school to him, but to show love, build that relationship, and show him they can offer that home feeling. Whoever has done the best job of that will push him over the edge and get him Wednesday."

Whoever does get Arnold, whether it be Nick Saban, Dan Mullen or Kirby Smart, they are getting a special young man.

A young man that hits the track at 5:30am each morning before school. One that takes care of business in the classroom to the tune of a 3.8 GPA. And after practice whether it is football or basketball, he gets extra training in after that throughout the week.

He is focused on being the best.

"I remember standing on the field with Terrion when he had only one offer, and he told me, 'I want to be the best at my position', so I said, OK, lets go to work. And he has been focused on that ever since.

"He stays hungry. He is dedicated. He is focused. He is different.

"Whoever gets him is getting a player that has a lot of what a coach can't teach. What Terrion has inside makes him different, and that why he is who he is."

Arnold is set to reveal his decision February 3 at 3:30pm ET.

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