What to Know About Miami's Top Secondary NFL Prospect Keionte Scott
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To understand the value of Keionte Scott and what he meant to the Miami Hurricanes this season, and what he will provide for the NFL, look back at his career starting from the beginning.
It started at a JUCO, where he first got his opportunity to shine and get some eyes on him, most importantly, Mario Cristobal.
“It just turned me into a dog,” Scott said on an appearance on Night Cap. “All of my JUCO products will say the same thing. You get there, it’s just long days and long nights. There’s questions of not knowing if you’re going to make it. You get there and just the brotherhood of things. You get in there with guys with all different types of stories, different backgrounds.
"Ultimately, you guys come together and build that JUCO bond. I still talk to my JUCO teammates to this day. That JUCO route is just a different ballgame. It makes me real appreciative of just the small things, like getting gloves and cleats. As soon as I got to college, I was just super grateful for all the things and never let those things get over my head. It just shaped me to who I am.”
Soon after, Cristobal would take the Miami Hurricanes job, and if he ever had the chance to, he was always coming to find the talented safety. However, he would have had to wait. Scott spent three seasons playing with the Auburn Tigers, where he proved to be a consistent starter and rotational piece for the team.
His first two seasons with the program showed flashes of the hard-hitting safety Miami fans would instantly love, while also highlighting his ability in the pass game. In his first season, he had two pass deflections, adding five more the year after.
However, he needed some change, and it started with Cristobal getting him out of the portal, changing his life and the trajectory of the Hurricanes' secondary.
The season that proceeded was one for the history books.
As a Hurricane, he earned Second Team All-ACC honors and was named a Jim Thrope Award semifinalist. Caleb Downs would always win the award, but the star Cane would have been on pace with him had he not gotten injured in the final three games of the season.
Moreover, when he returned in the College Football Playoff, he would be as dominant as ever.
At one point, Scott was the highest-graded cornerback in the nation by PFF. He was all over the highlight reel when he took one home against Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl, where he would mark his spot on the season, and why he would be a great day-two pick in the NFL Draft.
In his lone season with the Hurricanes, Scott finished with a career-high 64 tackles, five pass deflections, five sacks, and two interceptions, banging his head on the goal post for both.
Now he prepares for the NFL Draft where he will be one of the best day two picks to come.
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Justice Sandle is a graduate of Mississippi State University earning a Bachelor of Arts and Science in Communications with a concentration in Print and Digital Journalism. During his time in Starkville, he spent a year as an intern working for Mississippi State On SI primarily covering basketball, football, baseball, and soccer while writing, recording, and creating multimedia stories during his tenor. Since graduating, he has assumed the role of lead staff writer for Miami Hurricanes On SI covering football, basketball, baseball, and all things Hurricanes related.
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