Kayin Lee accepts Hugh Freeze’s ‘NFL corner’ praise: ‘It puts more weight on my shoulders’
AUBURN — Hugh Freeze called sophomore cornerback Kayin Lee a “NFL corner” last week as Auburn fall camp began. Lee says that type of vote of confidence is meaningful, but now backing it up is the goal.
“It puts more weight on my shoulders. I know I have to keep going and keep working. It’s great to hear that, but I already knew that. To hear that from my coach, that means a lot also,” Lee said.
Lee finished his true freshman season with 18 tackles, five PBUs, and 13 allowed receptions on 26 targets throughout the season. He heads into fall camp as the starter on one side of the field, as senior Keionte Scott is poised to start on the other side.
“It’s a big role I plan to play,” Lee said. “I want to help my team every which way I can. I want to be able to complete everything we want to do, reach all of our goals we want to meet within the SEC and nation, and just ball out.”
Lee believes the game has slowed down for him since he arrived on campus, adding recognizing concepts is something he’s specifically improved on. He also credits new defensive coordinator DJ Durkin for installing a defense that so far, seems easier to learn and execute than that of Ron Roberts last season.
“I feel like Coach Durkin’s scheme is more simple and easier for us to dissect,” Lee said. “I feel like we can say that as a team. It goes back to my high school days, that helps me a lot. It helps me remember things and helps my game translate better for my teammates and coaches.”
Freeze said last week that the young players in the secondary needed to step up for Auburn to reach its potential. Lee says there are already a handful of players that are rising to the challenge.
“We have some young guys that will have no choice to step up. Jay (Crawford) and Amon (Lane-Ganus), also JC (Hart), they have no choice but to play. I know they’ll be ready,” Lee said.
“JC Hart. He’s been working every single day. He’s in the film room and on the field, he’s working. (Antonio Kite) is a ball player, a real ball player. He’s an athlete, makes a lot of plays on the ball. That’s my boy on and off the field.
He learned a lot from Scott, DJ James and Nehemiah Pritchett last season. With James and Pritchett now in the NFL, Lee is hoping to carry lessons learned into a big second-year campaign.
“Since I’ve been a freshmen, that’s been a guy I’ve looked at,” Lee said of Scott. “I still get stuff from his bag to this day. Me coming in and being behind him, DJ and ‘Mighty.’ Those guys played some outside, too.
“They told me to trust myself. They’d tell me all the time I’m above my level with my knowledge and skill set, so just trust myself, and be physical. I’m bigger and stronger than a lot of guys, so be physical and trust my technique.”
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