The Pittsburgh Steelers signed veteran DB Grayland Arnold on Tuesday in an effort to address defensive depth. He played for the Houston Texans for the last three seasons and played both safety and slot corner while also playing special teams. But who is he beyond his NFL stat sheet?
Elite Two-Way Player In High School
While Grayland Arnold transitioned to playing just defense after graduating from Kountze High School, he played all over the field in high school. In 2014, he was his district’s Offensive MVP after totaling 29 touchdowns. He played largely quarterback and threw 18 touchdowns and 1,639 yards while also adding 11 touchdowns on the ground and an additional 531 yards.
As a senior, Arnold was named All-State First Team as a defensive back after totaling 49 tackles, one tackle for a loss, two interceptions, four forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries with two defensive touchdowns (an interception and a fumble recovery returned for touchdowns). He was also named All-District as a defensive back (First Team) and quarterback (Second Team).
Former NFL G Frank Middleton was the offensive coordinator for Kountze, and Arnold says he is responsible for Arnold playing football.
“My freshman year, I wasn’t going to play football, and he was like, ‘What?’…” Arnold told Nick Canizales of KCEN TV in a 2020 interview. “I was like, ‘Man, I like this.’ I like to compete in football just as much as I do in basketball, and ever since, the rest has been history.”
Multi-Sport Athlete
As Grayland Arnold hinted, he played basketball for Kountze. There, he was named to All-State teams as a sophomore and junior. He was an ultra-talented point guard, but his height was definitely a concern. That’s part of the argument Middleton made for him to try out for football.
“He was like, what are you trying to do in the NBA?” Arnold told Deepi Sidhu of HoustonTexans.com. “He’s like, you’re 5-9, man.”
Despite that happening during Arnold’s freshman year, he continued to play basketball. For the Class of 2016, he was ranked one of the 15 best basketball players in the state of Texas. His sophomore season even included a District MVP nod.
That athletic prowess extended to the track. As a junior, Arnold finished second in the 100m dash for Class 3A at the Texas state track meet. Arnold also lettered in tennis at Kountze High School.
A Cowboy?
No, not the Dallas Cowboys. He played for the Texans in his home state. However, he did grow up in a town more famous for horses and rodeo. In fact, Kountze is home to Cody Teel, 2012 Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association world champion and 16th in the world for bull riding through 2024.
Arnold himself had a horse named Smokey growing up and would even ride Smokey bareback.
Big Final Year At Baylor
Grayland Arnold stayed home in Texas to play for the Baylor Bears in college. He capped off his college career with a career-high in tackles (45) and interceptions (6). He had 2.5 tackles for a loss, one sack, two passes defended, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery. He also returned 12 punts for 149 yards and one touchdown. He was named to Sports Illustrated’s Second-Team All-America and was also All-Big 12 Second-Team.
Still A Small-Town Boy
Even though Grayland Arnold found his way to the NFL, he hasn’t forgotten about his small hometown. In 2023, he held a free football camp in Kountze for kids from third grade to seniors. He saw it as a way to both give back to his hometown and help the kids understand the importance of hard work.
“It’s just a blessing for me to be able to come back and do all this, have all these kids out,” Arnold said in an interview with 12NewsNow. “I’m just grateful all these kids showed up, though. I want to lead by example. That was one of my biggest things. And that’s what I’m trying to do right now. Letting these kids understand and see that you got to put in that work to get to that level… You don’t just get that free ride and go without putting in some work.”
