Chiefs No. 2B Profile: CB Javier Arenas

NAME – Javier E. Arenas

BORN – October 28, 1987 in Tampa, Florida.

FAMILY – Son of Facunda Arenas. He has four brothers: Jeno, Armando, Michael and Marco and one sister Jetta. His older brother Armando Murillo played for two seasons as a defensive back with Nebraska, starting 24 of 25 games during the 2007-08 seasons. His cousin is NBA player Gilbert Arenas.

PERSONAL STATS – 5-8 5/8, 197 pounds, 30 7/8-inch arms, 9½-inch hands.

MORE PERSONAL STATS – 4.6 seconds in 40-yard dash, 9-foot 4-inch broad jump.

HIGH SCHOOL – Graduated with the class of 2006 at Thomas Richard Robinson High School in Tampa.

ATHLETIC CAREER – He was a defensive back and returner for the Knights. He had seven return TDs for the as a senior, four on punt returns, 3 on kick returns. He had 16 TDs in all that year. Arenas also ran the 200 meters, with a best time of 22.9 seconds and the 400 meters in 54 seconds.

RECRUITMENT – Pretty much non-existent because of his size. He was offered a scholarship by Florida Atlantic, but Alabama came in late (January ‘06), Arenas made a visit to Tuscaloosa and immediately signed a letter of intent.

FRESHMAN SEASON ‘06 – He played a total of 107 snaps in all 13 games during the season. He served as the Crimson Tide’s main returner, with 31 punt returns for 286 yards and 2 TDs and 18 kick returns for 344 yards. He returned a punt 65 yards for a TD on his birthday and then returned a punt 86 yards for a score in the Independence Bowl against Oklahoma State.

VIRGINIA TECH COACH FRANK BEAMER: “He’s quite a punt returner. We saw all his returns from last year. It’s a big tape. He had a lot of them. They do a good job on it and they work hard on blocking people. They get on you and let him run to daylight. We have a plan to where the ball is going, but he can take it a lot of places.”

SOPHOMORE SEASON ‘07 – Played in 12 games, missing the afternoon with Auburn due to an ankle injury. Arenas saw most of his playing time in the return game, with 21 punt returns for a 15.4-yard average and one TD and 27 kick returns for a 24.3-yard average. He also had 20 tackles, including two for minus yardage.

WHAT HE SAID: “I’ve been a cornerback since I was six. If a guy calls me just a return man, that’s disrespect. I came [to Alabama] to play cornerback. I didn’t come here to return punts. [The media] was calling me a return man. I hated it.”

JUNIOR SEASON ‘08 – Arenas broke into the starting lineup at cornerback, contributing 63 total tackles, two sacks and one interception. He also returned 41 punts for a 15.9-yard average with three TDs going for 73, 80 and 87 yards. He also took back 26 kick returns for a 23.6-yard average. He was named second-team All-SEC as a returner and cornerback. He was named the special teams player of the year for the Crimson Tide and received the school’s President’s Award as a player who showed perseverance in making outstanding contributions to the success of the team.

SENIOR SEASON ‘09 – He started 13 games at cornerback, finishing with 71 total tackles, 12 tackles for minus yards, 5 sacks and 5 interceptions. He averaged 15.4 yards on 32 punt returns and 29 yards on 19 kickoff returns. Arenas missed the South Carolina game with bruised ribs.

ALABAMA COACH NICK SABAN SAID: “You’ve got a guy who can play corner. He’ll be a great nickel guy for you, which is where he was fantastic for us and be the kind of return player he is; and probably be a guy that you could use on offence a little bit, which is something we should have entertained more. He’s got a lot of ability and can contribute to the team in a lot of ways.”

GAME TO REMEMBER – Against Tennessee in the ‘09 season, Arenas had 14 total tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and a sack in the Tide’s victory.

CAREER NUMBERS – 52 games/28 starts … 154 total tackles, 17.5 tackles for loss, 7 sacks … 6 interceptions, 19 passes broken up … 125 punt returns for 1,752 yards and 7 TDs … 90 kickoff returns for 2,166 yards … came within nine yards of equaling the NCAA record for career punt return yardage, held by Wes Welker at 1,761 yards.