Hugh Freeze 'optimistic' Donovan Kaufman will play against Samford

Donovan Kaufman got a little banged up for Auburn on the West Coast, suffering a minor head injury against Cal. He turned out to be a real star for the Tigers but his status for Saturday against Samford has been in question. While the Bulldogs might not be a high-level opponent, head coach Hugh Freeze will still want a key defensive back out there.

Thankfully, Freeze is “optimistic” Kaufman is going to play. A final decision has not been made but for now, he expects to have Kaufman on the field at Jordan-Hare Stadium this weekend.

“We’re optimistic that he’ll be a go,” Freeze said during Wednesday’s SEC Coaches Teleconference. “It’s not final by any means. But we’re optimistic.”

To begin the season, Kaufman was listed as a backup on the Auburn depth chart. Initially beginning his career as a safety, new defensive coordinator Ron Roberts moved Kaufman to nickel. A switch-up compared to last season when the defensive back was brought in via the NCAA transfer portal.

But with how Kaufman has performed over the last two games, he is quickly becoming an important part of the Auburn defense. In two games, Kaufman has 12 games. 2.5 tackles for a loss, and has forced two fumbles. The one against Cal he was able to recover himself.

Auburn begins the season 2-0 with help of Donovan Kaufman

Freeze did not hide his emotions about playing on the West Coast. He was not a fan of Auburn heading out there, with kickoff scheduled for 7:30 p.m. local time. That equated to a 9:30 p.m. start had the Tigers been playing at home. Once the game was over, Freeze revealed everyone got back to the facilities around 10:30 a.m. the following day.

Admittedly, Auburn did not play its best football. Freeze said so during the SEC Coaches Teleconference but was happy to come out of Cal with a win. Starting the season 2-0 was a huge goal for him and wants to add another win against Samford before getting into the thick of SEC play.

There have been a few players to step up in big moments throughout the way for Auburn. Kaufman has been one of them, forcing two turnovers in favor of the Tigers. Continuing to see those type of plays are going to lead to a successful first year on the Plains for Freeze.

And thankfully, the rest of the games will take place within reasonable traveling distance.