Post-OSU Update: Damon Arnette was a first-round pick (19th overall) in the 2020 NFL Draft by the Las Vegas Raiders. He played nine games (seven starts) for the Raiders his rookie season, recording 25 tackles and two PBUs. Arnette entered 2021 in a backup role and missed time due to a groin injury. He was released by the team in November 2021 after threatening Las Vegas strip workers with a firearm. He spent the 2022 season on the Dolphins’ practice squad. He was a member of the Chiefs for nine days, cut after a second gun-related charge. He hasn’t played NFL football since, though he did resolve his felony gun charge in 2023 by pleading down to two misdemeanors. (updated: Feb. 2024)

Pronunciation: are-NET

Jersey #: 3 (2017-19) 17 (2015-16)

Major: Communications (2016-19)

Weight: 195 (2016-19), 191 (2015)

2019 Media Guide: Damon Arnette is back for a fifth season with the Buckeyes and that is a good thing; a real good thing for a cornerback position that certainly didn’t need to lose two undergraduate starters to the NFL for the second time in three years … instead, Arnette will bring 40 games of experience and his 25 starts to Ohio State’s Saturdays this fall and, equally important, to the Woody Hayes Athletic Center on a daily basis throughout the all-important winter, spring and summer months … Arnette has started on back-to-back Big Ten Conference championship teams – alongside first-round NFL Draft pick Denzel Ward in 2017 and fourth-round selection Kendall Sheffield in 2018 – and was an honorable mention all-Big Ten pick in 2018, for a second consecutive year, with 40 tackles, an interception and six pass break-ups on his resume … his interception came in the Big Ten championship game win over Northwestern … now has four career interceptions with two in 2017 (vs. UNLV and Michigan State) and one as a red-shirt freshman in 2016 vs. Nebraska … enters the season with 105 career tackles and 18 total passes defended (four interceptions and 14 pass break-ups).

2018 Media Guide: Damon Arnette is a fourth-year junior who is coming off a fine 2017 season in which he started 12 games alongside Denzel Ward at cornerback … has plenty of game experience with 27 games played in and 65 career tackles … also has 11 total passes defended with three interceptions and eight pass break-ups … picked off two passes in 2017 (vs. UNLV and Michigan State) after getting his first in 2016 vs. Nebraska … among the team’s top tacklers in 2017, finishing sixth with 44 tackles in addition to contributing eight pass break-ups and the two interceptions … awarded game “champion” honors by the coaching staff five times as a sophomore: vs. Army, UNLV, Rutgers, Michigan State and Wisconsin … team’s defensive player of the game in the win over Michigan State … set career-bests with seven tackles vs. Oklahoma and six solo tackles vs. Indiana.

2017 Media Guide: Damon Arnette had a fine 2017 spring drills competing for the open cornerback positions after last year’s starters each declared for the draft early and were first-round NFL Draft picks
… one of only two scholarship lettermen at the position on the roster, Arnette has game experience, with 13 games played and 21 career tackles.

2016: Arnette played in all 13 games, after redshirting in 2015, with 361 total plays on the season including 181 on defense and another 180 on special teams … he totaled 21 tackles for the year and recorded his first interception as a Buckeye, vs. Nebraska … he had high tackle games of four vs. both Nebraska and Maryland … he earned his first Varsity O letter.

2016 Media Guide: Damon Arnette is in his second season with the Buckeyes … he red-shirted the 2015 campaign as a true freshman.

High School: One of the last in this class to commit to attending Ohio State, Damon Arnette carried a 4-star rating from ESPN and came from the strong St. Thomas Aquinas program that will have seven of its 2014 seniors sign Division I scholarship offers this year and that is the prep alma mater of Buckeye All-American Joey Bosa … Aquinas, coached by Rocco Casullo, has captured two of the last three Florida 7A state championships, including in 2014 with a 15-1 record … Arnette provided length and strength as a roving defensive back with most of his time spent at cornerback … he was ranked as the No. 24 safety by ESPN and the No. 51 cornerback by Rivals … the 247Sports composite ranked him No. 60 at cornerback … he was ranked as the talent-rich Florida’s No. 83 prospect after recording three interceptions, five additional pass break-ups and three quarterback sacks as a senior … he earned honorable mention all-defensive team honors on Broward County’s Class 8A-7A-6A list.