"He takes it really seriously": Former Alabama star Terrion Arnold offers insight on Nick Saban's religious beliefs

Modified Apr 18, 2025 15:03 GMT

Syndication: Tuscaloosa News - Source: Imagn

The former Alabama star and Detroit Lions rookie Terrion Arnold shares a special connection with his Crimson Tide teammates, coaches, and even with Nick Saban's wife, Miss Terry.

During his time at Alabama, Arnold started the 'Lank' movement with Jalen Milroe, which meant "Let the naysayers know." The star duo started this initiative to respond to all the critics and those who doubted them.

On the "New Wave Podcast," Arnold talked about his journey from Tallahassee to Alabama to Detroit. He opened up about when coach Saban visited him at John Paul High School, a Catholic school, where he saw a different side to the former Crimson Tide coach.

"It's kind of been a journey. On top of that, it's really been a blessing, like going from a small school like St. John Paul, a Catholic school, and just having somebody like Coach Saban walk in my school, but it's actually crazy.

"Like when Coach Saban came to visit me, we was in a mass, and I ain't know Coach Saban was Catholic, so they were great to come up there man. I'm not saying I wasn't really into that but I'm not Catholic, but I ain't ever disrespect any religion.

He continued:

"But when it came to that, when it came time to participate, in all those activities, I just be kind of looking and like coach Saban, one of those guys, if you're ever around him, man he takes it really seriously, so when he pulled up, it was kind of like a blessing." (1:30)

Terrion Arnold explains the reasoning behind changing his jersey number

The Minnesota Vikings' rookie and former Alabama CB Khyree Jackson lost his life in a three-way car crash in Maryland on July 6.

During the same interview with Ryan Williams and crew, Terrion Arnold shared that he changed his jersey number to 6 because he wanted to honour his late Alabama teammate, who had such a big impact on him.

Arnold shared that he wanted to do it so that Jackson could continue living through him, and it is just one of those things when "football is bigger than you."

The Lions' rookie also shared that he wanted to make sure that Jackson's parents realise that Arnold hasn't forgotten him.

About the author

Prasen is an NFL/College Sports analyst at Sportskeeda. A B.Tech/Civil Engineering graduate, he has two years of experience writing content.

For Prasen, providing historical angles relevant to the story is important, as it can give the reader useful information and help them relate it to the present. He thinks this keeps the content unique rather than just a bland reporting of facts. Prasen believes in fact-checking and researching relevant information as per the headline and context. He hates clickbait or misleading the reader.

A fan of the Colorado Buffaloes since Deion Sanders took over as coach, Prasen expects Coach Prime to make the Buffs a national championship contender. Nick Saban is his favorite all-time coach, while Baker Mayfield and Caitlin Clark are his favorite players. Prasen considers Vince Young coming up clutch for the Texas Longhorns in the dying seconds of the 2017 national championship game against the USC Trojans as the most iconic moment of all time.

Per Prasen, College Sports is competitive and garners attention but it is just the beginning, where a student-athlete can show their skills and potential to make it to the big leagues. When he is not researching and writing, Prasen’s hobbies include pursuing higher studies and playing sports.

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Edited by Akshay Saraswat