The real Grayland Arnold is still waiting to make his Baylor debut

FRISCO, Texas - The start of Baylor's fall camp on Friday nearly marks the year anniversary that Baylor cornerback Grayland Arnold suffered a broken arm in practice, preventing him from playing the first three games of his sophomore season and forcing him to wear a cast in the nine games that he did participate. 

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Arnold breaks up a pass in Baylor's contest against Iowa State last fall.

It was a tough break for Arnold, literally and figuratively, considering the true sophomore missed out on a redshirt season in 2016 when the Bears needed his depth in a desperate way. Following the season Arnold underwent shoulder surgery, forcing him to miss Baylor's first spring under new head coach Matt Rhule. 

The spring of 2018 was the first opportunity for Grayland to fully participate in offseason practices and workouts at the collegiate level. Needless to say, Arnold needed every bit of practice and game experience that he could find, and the setbacks over the course of the last two years have been a challenge.

The good news is that, barring an unforeseen setback, Arnold will enter his junior season as healthy and as prepared as he has been as a Bear.

"I don’t think that any of us have really seen the Grayland Arnold that’s out there," Baylor head coach Matt Rhule said. 

"Why I say that is he played as a freshman, had that shoulder surgery after that freshman year, came back from the surgery and hurt his arm. So he played all last year with a cast, he played all last year trying to get back in shape, and he played really well, but I think he can be a difference maker.

In the two-year stretch Arnold collected 46 tackles, 3.0 tackles for loss, and 12 passes defended. His 3.0 tackles for loss was No. 1 among all defensive backs on the team in 2017, and his seven passes defended was No. 2 behind the eight from freshman cornerback Harrison Hand despite playing in three less games.

A decent start, but now the former four-star prospect is hoping for the first breakout season of his young career. 

"He is tough, he is demanding, he makes the elite list every week, he gets on other guys, he’s a leader," Rhule added. "I mean, Grayland’s my kind of guy.

"I think this year, having a full summer to be healthy, I think we will see a guy really play at the level he’s capable of this fall."