What to know about UM post-spring additions Scott and Thomas, two key new DBs
The Miami Hurricanes augmented their defensive backfield in the second portal cycle with two Southeastern Conference veterans.
The question is whether slot cornerback Keionte Scott and safety Jakobe Thomas will be simply serviceable, or something far better than that.
Both are coming off seasons in which they didn’t do their best work.
Scott struggled playing boundary corner last season for Auburn (he allowed a 145.1 passer rating) but excelled in the slot for the Tigers two years ago.
“I feel being in the slot for a long time and going to the outside, I felt it was two totally positions,” he said. “I found myself a little more comfortable in the slot, with my play style and what I’m very good at. I find myself being better being around the ball.”
Scott is competing with Michigan State transfer Charles Brantley, among others, for the nickel corner job. Damari Brown can play that position, but he said UM is using him primarily outside.
Scott originally transferred to Houston after last season ended but left the Cougars after four months.
There’s history with Scott and new UM defensive backs coach Zac Etheridge; they were together at Auburn. Scott was a junior college All-American for two years before moving onto Auburn, where he played 33 games and started 23 through three seasons. He had 115 tackles, a sack and an interception during those three years.
“Keionte knows coach’s style; we know his strengths,” defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman said. “We had a good feel for what his strengths and weaknesses were and how he fit with what we wanted to do on defense.”
Scott picked the Canes because “Miami is a great place for me, with my relationship with the coaches and being in a place where the culture was established. Having a relationship with coach [Mario] Cristobal, Will Harris, Zac Etheridge. I thought it would be the right fit.”
His athleticism, nimbleness in defending slot receivers, experience, versatility and punt return skills are his greatest strengths. Scott, 6-0, led the SEC in punt return average (14.8) in 2023.
Meanwhile, Thomas remains a slight favorite to start opposite Zechariah Poyser at safety, with Markeith Williams and Dylan Day providing competition.
“Jakobe as you watched his film, he’s old school; a lot of those things fit [our defense],” Hetherman said.
Thomas, 6-2, had 22 tackles, a sack, three tackles for loss and two passes defended in 263 defensive snaps for Tennessee last season, allowing six completions in eight targets for 103 yards, a 116.7 passer rating against.
Previously, he had 13 starts in three years at Middle Tennessee State. He had four interceptions in 2022, his only picks in four college seasons. On3 ranked Thomas as the 24th-ranked safety in the portal.
Thomas said he picked UM because “they needed DBs. And I did my homework on Coach Cristobal. Culture is a big thing for me. Coach Cristobal is adamant on how you do anything is how you do everything. He’s a great coach and pushes us each day to be the best version of ourselves.
“When we came down on a visit, he told my mom when I left Miami that I would be the best football player, best man I could possibly be. I didn’t want to take the chance anywhere else. I didn’t want the spot to close up.”
The question is whether he can become a very good starting safety at a Power 4 school. He said he believes he’s up for that.
“Yeah, I think I should start,” he said when asked if he’s a starting-caliber player. “But I don’t think I deserve anything yet. I’ve got to go out and prove myself first and gain the respect of my teammates. None of these guys have seen me yet.”
His strengths? “Everyone would say hitting, tackling. I think my strengths are the way I study the game, my IQ. I’m really smart with the game. I can help lead and bring a group of guys together to communicate on one accord.”
His skills in pass coverage are the question. It’s an area that he needs to improve.
“I love Jakobe already,” Poyser said. “He’s a vocal guy, a smart guy. He’s always telling me what’s going to happen, what to think on [the upcoming] down.”
This story was originally published August 5, 2025 at 12:02 PM.
