TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama is trying to build a new identity this season. Monday, starting cornerback Terrion Arnold unveiled a new acronym that sums up the team’s mental approach at the moment.
It’s called LANK.
“LANK means let all naysayers know,” Arnold explained. “... It’s kind of like everybody disrespecting us and everybody doubting us. Kind of like with us addressing all the disrespect and really taking it personal, we really take that personal.
“You go out there, and like Coach Saban says, if you play to the standard, you LANK ‘em. Let all naysayers know.”
Arnold later clarified that Nick Saban hasn’t yet used the term LANK himself to the players. However, the redshirt sophomore is working on getting his head coach hip with the new lingo.
“I’m waiting on the right opportunity and the right moment to kind of introduce it to him,” Arnold said with a smile. “We say it in practice, a couple guys on the team have done it, so we throw it up.”
Arnold originally introduced LANK to the media when asked about Jalen Milroe, calling the quarterback his “LANK brother.” After facing criticism for his passing ability at times last season, Milroe completed 13 of 18 passes for 194 yards and three touchdowns without an interception after earning the start against Middle Tennessee State over the weekend.
“People have been doubting him and saying he can’t really play the position,” Arnold said of Milroe. “He’s put in a lot of work, so it’s good to see him grow, and I look forward to seeing him have success.”
Arnold says he felt a little bit of disrespect himself after MTSU tested him on a deep ball on the first play from scrimmage over the weekend. He responded by swatting the pass down for an incompletion while going on to record five tackles, including 0.5 for a loss on the night.
“That was a very personal moment for me,” Arnold said of the pass deflection. “Obviously last year when I started my sophomore year, I wasn’t really comfortable. [MTSU] tried me on the first play of the game, and my granddad, like he always told me to stay focused and stay ready. With them coming at me the first play of this game, I feel like that kind of set the tone for how the season is going to go.”
Milroe and Arnold were two of the players who came up with the motto over the offseason in order to push the team. Milroe used the acronym on messages to his teammates, while Arnold included it in social media posts.
“There was a lot of doubt that took place throughout the offseason,” Milroe said. “There were a lot of things that took place. That was one thing that we came together as one group, one unit to try to think of a motto.”
While No. 4 Alabama opened up as a 7.5-point favorite over No. 11 Texas, the Crimson Tide still figure to face some doubters when the Longhorns come to Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday. As far as Tide players are concerned, that’s just another opportunity to LANK
“I think the biggest thing is being constantly hungry,” Milroe said. “Not worrying about proving anyone wrong or proving anybody right, just trying to get better. I play for my brothers that’s with me wearing crimson and white, that’s who I play for. I play for the coaching staff and I play for the Alabama fans, that’s who I really play for. I just want to get better.”
