Nick Saban famously avoided comparing players as Alabama’s coach, but now that he is an ESPN analyst, it is part of his job.
During his first appearance on ESPN’s College Gameday, shortly before the first round of the 2024 NFL draft, Kirk Herbstreit asked Saban to compare the two Alabama cornerbacks in the draft, Terrion Arnold and Kool-Aid McKinstry.
“I think Terrion Arnold — who if you watched him play last year [in 2022] struggled a little bit — so you got to give him a lot of credit for the hard work he did to improve and become a really good player this year [in 2023],” Saban said. “Kool-Aid is a more naturally instinctive guy. He’s played more football.
“But Terrion has great measureables, really good cover guy. Got good ball skills. Can tackle, tough. Both guys are. But the biggest difference to me is Kool-Aid is a little bit more mature right now as a player who has played more. He’s smart. He really understands the game. He played receiver. He played with Bo Nix in high school [at Pinson Valley] — so he played receiver and defensive back. I think that’s the only difference in the two.”
Arnold and McKinstry were both five-star prospects for Alabama’s 2021 high school class. But Arnold signed in February, enrolled throughout the summer, and then switched from safety to cornerback. He did not play as a freshman in 2021 but saw substantial playing time early in the 2022 season. Arnold was benched midseason in favor of LSU transfer Eli Ricks, and he returned to the lineup late in the 2022 season after Ricks was hurt. Arnold emerged in 2023.
McKinstry saw more immediate playing time late in his freshman season after injuries to starters Josh Jobe and Jalyn Armour-Davis, then held a full-time starting role each of the past two seasons.
Both Arnold and McKinstry were part of Saban’s all-defense team he presented during the ESPN broadcast along with three other defensive backs: Toledo’s Quinyon Mitchell, Iowa’s Cooper DeJean and Minnesota’s Tyler Nubin.
“Terrion Arnold and Quinyon Mitchell are really good corners,” Saban explained. “I would actually take guys like Kool-Aid, who played for us at Alabama, and Cooper DeJean, who are both corners and can play corners, but they may end up playing inside for somebody.”
On Mitchell, Saban said, “What showed up for me with Quinyon Mitchell was he had a great Senior Bowl. I questioned playing in the MAC because there’s not great speed in the MAC, is this gonna be able to play to the level of comp, but when he got to the Senior Bowl, man, he was the best guy covering them dudes down there.”
Arnold is expected to be drafted in the mid-first round, while McKinstry will be selected in the late first or early second round.
