Dallas Turner remembers hearing the claim from Terrion Arnold at Alabama’s freshman orientation.

Arnold was telling people that, while in high school, he had at one point received an offer from the University of Kentucky to play basketball, per Turner.

Did Turner believe him?

“No,” Turner said. “I did not believe that at all.”

Arnold was a good basketball player in high school. “I knew he could hoop a little bit,” Turner said. But there’s a difference between being a good basketball player and landing a scholarship at a basketball blue blood. Turner, a basketball player himself who knew others in the basketball world who had actually received offers to play basketball for Kentucky, wasn’t buying it. Nonetheless, he admired Arnold’s confidence to make such a claim.

“I’m like, ‘This man right here is crazy,’” Turner said. “… But that’s my boy Terrion.”

Confident. Vocal. Comical. Well-liked. Memorable. Arnold is known as much for his big personality as he is for elite play on the football field. It’s why he not only became a football star at cornerback this past season but also a fan favorite in Tuscaloosa. He developed a famous friendship with Nick Saban’s wife, Miss Terry. He started the LANK (Let All Naysayers Know) movement with his friend, quarterback Jalen Milroe. Then on the field Arnold intercepted five passes, earned a first team All-America nod, and led Alabama to an SEC title and the College Football Playoff.

As a result, the team who picks him in the first round of the NFL Draft on Thursday will land not only a talented cornerback but also a guy with a personality built to flourish on the biggest stage.

The Tuscaloosa News asked a variety of Arnold’s teammates in 2023 for their best story about him. For some, a memory snapped into place instantly. Minimal thought was required. Others couldn’t come up with exact anecdotes, but they had plenty to say about him. And no matter the response, just about every single Alabama player smiled or laughed when talking about Arnold.

“Terrion is just funny,” safety Jaylen Key said. “He does so much that it’s a lot to even really remember.”

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Terrion Arnold, the team comedian

Sometimes he sang out loud. He also liked to vlog (video blog) around his Alabama football teammates while at the Rose Bowl. Arnold has also been known for impressions; He’s tried to impersonate everybody, Key said. That included Saban.

But not in front of Saban.

“Definitely not,” Key said.

Running back Jase McClellan called Arnold the team comedy. In fact, McClellan had to fight off laughter while answering questions about Arnold’s personality, even though the Alabama cornerback was nowhere nearby.

“He’s always got a story to tell,” receiver Jermaine Burton said. “Every day, he’s got a new story to tell about something.”

Simply put, Arnold’s a talker. Specifically, in practice. Tight end CJ Dippre said it was more joking than trash talk he heard from Arnold. Burton equated what Arnold did to trolling.

“If I have a go ball, he’ll be like, ‘I know the fade coming,’” Burton said. “I know the fade coming. It dead now. Throw it. Throw it.’”

Arnold would yell random things, too.

“I can’t take him for real sometimes,” Burton said.

Terrion Arnold on-field moments

As far as on-field stories go, one mentioned on multiple occasions occurred during the Mississippi State game in 2023. That memory is the one former secondary coach Travaris Robinson described as his best Arnold story.

The moment? Saban decided to chew out Arnold as Arnold was jogging off the field, but Arnold didn’t realize Saban was yelling at him.

"I'm like, 'dang boy he looks mad,'" Arnold said in October. "'He's going to give it to somebody ... oh, oh, it's me.'"

Then there was the Iron Bowl victory in 2023 when Arnold secured the win with an interception on the final play. Arnold ran to the sideline, screaming “LANK, LANK, LANK.”

“Going crazy and just spazzing,” Burton said.

Therein lies the essence of Arnold. Making a big play, making his voice heard and making his teammates enjoy him even more.

“That’s a great guy to be around,” defensive end Justin Eboigbe said. “A great teammate.”

Nick Kelly is the Alabama beat writer for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network, and he covers Alabama football and men's basketball. Reach him at nkelly@gannett.com or follow him @_NickKelly on X, the social media app formerly known as Twitter.

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: NFL Draft: Best Terrion Arnold stories, from his Alabama teammates