Wesley McGriff on Keionte Scott: 'I see a dynamic player'
AUBURN — Keionte Scott is quickly becoming one of Auburn’s best football players, and most widely respected. The junior from San Diego, California is entering his second season with the Tigers, and coming off an awfully productive season.
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Scott finished last season with 42 tackles, three pass break-ups and one interception, ranking as the third-best returning defender for Auburn according to Pro Football Focus. But it’s more than that with Scott.
Auburn Live recently had the chance to guest co-host the On To Victory collective podcast and who was the football player chosen to participate in the show? Scott. Auburn Live also caught up with Scott during winter workouts for a one-one-one interview, where Scott was transparent and thoughtful talking about last season and his experience at Auburn so far.
It’s easy to understand why Scott is so well liked on and off the field when you hear cornerbacks coach Wesley McGriff speak of the rising star.
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“I see a dynamic player. I see a guy that can impact the game, a guy who can play at a high level, who loves football,” McGriff said. “When he comes to work every day, he’s prepared. He’s got his notebook, he’s a serious-minded individual. When he gets on the grass, you can see his performance. (Monday) was his best day of practice. Coach (Zac) Etheridge looked at me one time and said, ‘cool him off.’ I said, ‘I don’t have water to cool this dude off.’ He was locking them up. That guy can really impact the game.”
Scott is playing both nickel and outside cornerback during spring practice.
Keionte Scott joins a veteran group of defensive backs returning, with Nehemiah Pritchett, Jaylin Simpson, Donovan Kaufman and Zion Puckett all returning with tons of SEC football under their belt. McGriff is grateful for the experience he and Etheridge have at their disposal.
“I think this is a mature group,” McGriff said. “One of the things you look at is the questions they ask. You can tell they want to be coached. The thing that you appreciate about an experienced bunch is when you tell them something, they try and execute it that way. The other big thing that stands out is that leadership piece. You can see the veterans talking to some of those younger guys. As coaches, we can make the mistake of talking over guys’ heads a little bit, but they can break it down and say, ‘he’s saying this.’ You see that leadership among those guys.
“Keionte Scott, you can see him coaching those guys up. Nehemiah Pritchett, he’s putting his arm around Kayin Lee and coaching him up. That speaks to the leadership and the bonding. That’s good to see.”
Spring practice schedule:
The Tigers will practice every Monday, Wednesday and Friday for the most part leading into the April 8 spring game inside Jordan-Hare Stadium. Here’s the schedule of practices: February 27, March 1, 3, 13, 15, 17, 20, 22, 24, 27, 29, April 3, 5, 7 and 8. Auburn took the week of March 5-11 off for spring break.
