"Never": Detroit's Terrion Arnold has blunt response to 'passing LANK torch' in Alabama for 2024 season
During the 2023 season, Alabama players Terrion Arnold and Jalen Milroe came up with a term to describe the Crimson Tide's run to the College Football Playoff. They devised "LANK," meaning "Let All Naysayers Know," and soon, the acronym was seen all around Tuscaloosa.
This season, the creators of LANK are in two different places. While Jalen Milroe is staying in Alabama, Terrion Arnold entered the NFL draft and was picked 24th overall by the Detroit Lions.
On Tuesday, Arnold went on "The Next Round" podcast and was asked if he was going to pass on the LANK torch to another player in Alabama.
"As far as me passing that LANK torch, never. No. I’m still there in spirit," Arnold said. "If we need to FaceTime so I can give the team a speech before the game, we can do that. 50% of LANK is in Alabama, the other 50% is in Detroit. In Detroit, we’re gonna let the naysayers know too.”
The "Let All Naysayers Know" phrase became the mantra for the Crimson Tide during their 2023 season, in which they came back from a Week 2 defeat to the Texas Longhorns to win the SEC championship.
They would then, in controversial circumstances, make the College Football Playoff, facing the Michigan Wolverines in the Rose Bowl.
Jalen Milroe spoke early last season about how he and Arnold came up with the name and the mentality behind it.
"We came in as one unit to think of a motto to push our team," Milroe said. "There was a lot of doubt throughout the offseason. We came together and made that our motto this year."
In the end, while the Tide were unable to win the national championship, the LANK mentality remained, and this season, it will be in two places: Tuscaloosa and Detroit.
Can Alabama win a national championship in 2024?
While the LANK mentality and Jalen Milroe will return for Alabama next season, many things will not. The Crimson Tide will head into 2024 with a new head coach and coaching setup under Kalen DeBoer after Nick Saban retired.
Additionally, as well as Terrion Arnold, the Crimson Tide will be without Kool-Aid McKinstry, Isaiah Bond and Seth McLaughlin, all players who thrived in Alabama and have been replaced.
Furthermore, their opponents like the Georgia Bulldogs and the newly arrived Texas Longhorns are getting stronger and will provide a tough challenge for the Crimson Tide to retain their SEC championship.
The whole team will need to adopt the LANK mantra next season to help it succeed.
Do you think that Alabama will win the SEC championship next season? Let us know in the comments section below!