Terrion Arnold discusses why he talks to opposing players

Alabama cornerback Terrion Arnold isn’t shy about chopping it up with opposing receivers in the middle of games. Arnold revealed to the ESPN broadcast crew at last week’s game against Mississippi State that he likes to have conversations with his competition.

Although one might expect that to be trash talk that is typical in sports, Arnold said that isn’t always the case. Sometimes he simply likes to talk to some of the players he has gotten to know over the years, using Texas A&M receiver Evan Stewart, whom he will face this week, as an example.

“That’s something I’ve kind of been doing ever since I was younger,” Arnold said. “Most people, when you see somebody’s head bobbling or you see two guys talking, you might think they’re talking trash. But a lot of times, I just be out there having conversations. Like I know when y’all see this game, me and Evan (Stewart), we have a great relationship.

“When he came down here to Alabama — I actually thought he was gonna come here. Great guy. So when you see me guarding him, you’ll see me talking to him. Telling him, ‘I’m gonna man-to-man this rep. You gotta win.’ Or he could be like, ‘I’m coming. I got this type of route.’ He’s that type of guy, too. When I line up, it’s just kind of like friendly competition and something to keep yourself motivated during the game.”

That’s not to say Arnold isn’t fluent in trash talk, though. Fans saw an example of that play out this week when A&M receiver Ainias Smith made comments about knowing “what Nick Saban wants” and how the Aggies will “mess that up.”

Arnold fired back with a response of his own asking Smith “What does coach Saban want?” He further elaborated on that, hinting at what fans can expect to see when the two players take the field on Saturday.

“If I’m in the game and he’s saying that he knows what my coach wants, I’m gonna be like ‘You know what coach Saban wants, huh? What he want?'” Arnold said. “Little things like that. (Smith) plays in the slot primarily. Malachi (Moore) goes out there and he gets a PBU on him, you walk beside him and go ‘Hmm, you know what he want?’ Just little things like that trying to get into somebody’s head.”

At the end of the day, it’s all fun for Arnold. Talking to players also gives him a chance to see how they respond, and can sometimes lead to a competitive advantage.

He’s looking forward to plenty of that when the Crimson Tide kick off against the Aggies at 2:30 p.m. CT on Saturday in College Station.

“Obviously you see the type of competitor somebody is,” he said. “If they shut down, you know they can’t play 60 minutes of football and that’s the type of person they are. But if they keep going, it really gets you going. It makes the game entertaining for the crowd. It makes it entertaining for you. You have a chance to go out there and really put on a show.”