Hugh Freeze says Keionte Scott will miss 'considerable time' with injury

Auburn will be without one of its top playmakers on the defensive side of the ball for a “considerable” amount of time as Keionte Scott is banged up and will need surgery.

Tigers head coach Hugh Freeze delivered the news to reporters on Monday, according to Justin Hokanson of On3.

“Keionte did not get a good report and that hurts us a lot. He’s our leader back there,” Freeze said, according to Hokanson. “He’s going to have surgery (Monday). Our prayers are with him for quick healing. We’ll be without him for considerable time.”

Keionte Scott has started all three games for Auburn at cornerback and is currently tied for third on the team with 10 tackles. He is also the primary punt returner for the Tigers and is averaging 19 yards per return on four punt returns.

A junior college transfer, Scott had an excellent 2022 season at Auburn, finishing with 53 tackles, 4 tackles for loss and an interception.

Losing Scott comes at a difficult time as the schedule is about to get much tougher for the Tigers. Auburn is 3-0 through three games with wins against Massachusetts, Cal and Samford.

SEC play begins for Auburn on Saturday as the Tigers play at Texas A&M. After that is a home game against No. 1 Georgia. With Scott out, others will need to step up in the secondary.

Auburn vs. Texas A&M odds: Point spread released on Tigers, Aggies

As mentioned, the schedule is going to get much more difficult for Auburn, beginning this weekend.

The Tigers will face off against Texas A&M in the SEC opener for both teams.

The Aggies are currently favored by more than a touchdown at Kyle Field vs. the Tigers. FanDuel has set the early line at Texas A&M -7.5. The over/under is at 52.5 points.

This contest comes on the heels of a Week 3 where both squads took care of business with blowouts against lower-conference opponents. Auburn handled Samford by a 45-13 score, while A&M put away Louisiana-Monroe with a 47-3 victory.

Those results may not tell us much about the two teams. However, their outings in the week prior provided a much better snapshot of what they’ll look like against SEC competition.

In Week 2, A&M traveled east to face Miami. Hurricanes star Tyler Van Dyke passed for 374 yards and five touchdowns as he propelled his team to a win.

Meanwhile, Auburn spent their second week of play on the opposite side of the country facing California on the road. The Golden Bears pushed the Tigers to the limit and held the lead for much of the evening, before Auburn QB Payton Thorne tossed a game-winning TD with just over five minutes to play, setting up the eventual 14-10 win.