Terrion Arnold isn’t one to limit himself, he said. That’s why the Florida high school athlete was excited to get a chance to play both sports he loves in college.
Illinois was one of the first schools to offer Arnold a scholarship to compete in football and basketball.
“It motivates me to go harder,” Arnold said. “I’m showing people can do both.”
Arnold, a 6-foot-2, 187-pound junior from Tallahassee, Fla., is rated as a four-star safety and has dozens of football scholarship offers from programs such as Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, LSU and Notre Dame.
He said Illinois and Georgia Tech have offered him the opportunity to play basketball as well. By NCAA rule, if an athlete plays football, he cannot be on scholarship for another sport (the so-called “Bear Bryant rule,” after the legendary Alabama coach supposedly would stash football players on other teams to circumvent scholarship limits).
“I’m exploring all of my options,” Arnold said. “I’m seeing what the best fit is for me. I don’t have any favorite schools.”
Arnold believes playing both sports in college is feasible. He could accept a football scholarship and join the basketball team as a walk-on guard.
It’s rarely done in college athletics, but some famous athletes have accomplished both — including Arnold’s former high school basketball coach at Florida State University School.
Charlie Ward won the 1993 Heisman Trophy as a Florida State quarterback and started at point guard for the 1992-93 Seminoles basketball team that reached the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament. He went on to play 11 seasons in the NBA.
“He said the main thing you have to do is make a lot of sacrifices and devote time,” said Arnold, who now attends John Paul II Catholic in Tallahassee. “He said I reminded him of himself.”
Arnold said he has played football since he was 5 and basketball since he was 7. Illinois, he said, was impressed with his dedication to both sports.
“They like the confidence I have,” he said, “that I’m a clean-cut guy, a guy they can build their program around basketball-wise and football-wise.”
