Hugh Freeze identifies who will field kicks, punts for Auburn

As the first week of the season inches closer, college football teams across the country are beginning to see their starting squad crystalize. For Auburn, that is happening this week.

Tigers head coach Hugh Freeze named quarterback Payton Thorne as the team’s starter for Week 1. But he has also appears to have settled on other starting roles on special teams as well.

That includes kickoff and punt return, where Brian Battie and Keionte Scott have earned the jobs to return kicks and punts for Auburn.

“Battie will get the nod at kickoff return to start with,” Freeze said Saturday to a group of the media. “I do think we have other options too, but he’s proven to be one of the nation’s best so I think he will get the nod there.”

Battie’s credentials as a kick returner are already established following his time at USF, where he earned All-American honors as a returner in 2021. During that 2021 season, Battie returned three kicks for touchdowns while averaging 32.5 yards per return.

Last year his efficiency in the return game went down but Battie also had the duties of starting running back on his plate. He ran for over 1,000 yards on the season.

“We will have a couple running backs back there on kickoff,” Freeze said. “If we can design it to where we think they’re going to kick it, it will be be Battie getting that option.”

Scott is in his second year with the Tigers after he was a Juco All-American at Snow College. He returned 14 punts last year for 134 yards.

The team’s main nickle cornerback during the 2022 campaign, Scott also had 53 tackles and one interception on the season.

“Caleb Burton’s really solid at punt catching and returning there too but Keionte will probably get the nod at punt return. He’s done it before in this league and he’s pretty calm,” Freeze said.

The news about the returners is far from the biggest decision to come out of The Plains this week. Freeze and the staff’s decision to go with Thorne over Robby Ashford or Holden Geriner for the starting quarterback job has garnered many of the headlines.

“I believe in all three of those guys. There are days where there has been very little separation,” Freeze said Thursday. “I just believe, man, my gut is usually right and usually when I follow my gut? And I’m not saying my gut is right that Payton is the guy for all 12 games. But my gut is saying it’s the time to do this, to get us best prepared for the opening of the season.”