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Miami nickel Keionte Scott joined former Texas QB Chris Simms at the combine to discuss Miami's season and the draft process. A transcript of their discussion is below:
Chris Simms: Joining us now, Miami defensive back Keionte Scott — aka Zip, aka Agent Zero. What do you prefer, Zip or Agent Zero?
Keionte Scott: I’ve got to go Agent Zero. That was a gift from my coach, Cristobal, so I’ve got to keep that one.
Chris Simms: The coach gave you that one, so you’re like, “All right, I’ll wear it.” And you did wear number zero. Where does Zip come from?
Keionte Scott: Zip is more for my teammates. It’s short for zero — like zip. And I pride myself on being able to lock things down.
Chris Simms: So zero is like zip — you’re not getting anything.
Keionte Scott: Nothing.
Chris Simms: I like that. I might make that stick in your NFL career. You just better get drafted to a team that has zero available or it’s going to cost you some money.
Keionte Scott: To be honest, I just want to get in there first. I’m not really worried about the number. I’ll wear 58 if I have to.
Chris Simms: Right. How did you end up at Miami? It feels like that roster is full of South Florida guys. You’re from San Diego. How did that all work out?
Keionte Scott: It was a long journey. I had to go the junior college route out of high school and go through a learning curve — learning how to do things the right way, handle business off the field, in the classroom. Then I went to Auburn and thrived for a little while, hit a down year, had different things going on. I was searching for comfortability.
Having Coach Cristobal on staff — he recruited me out of junior college — that was big. Coach Harris recruited me when he was at Washington, and Coach Zac Etheridge was with me at Auburn. I committed to him there. So that familiarity made me super comfortable, and that’s why I made the decision.
Chris Simms: I’ve got to read this comment from a former Snow College coach about you. He said you’re a phenomenal player, but also outgoing and inclusive. The teachers loved you. The food service ladies loved you. The janitors loved you. That says a lot — how you treat people who can’t necessarily help you directly. That speaks highly of your character.
Keionte Scott: I appreciate that. I feel like it’s important to talk to people. You never know what someone’s going through. Just saying hello might change their day. I pride myself on speaking to everybody. The ladies in the front office, I call them “best friend,” just checking in. They always check on us, so I try to return that favor.
Chris Simms: I can tell that’s natural to you.
Keionte Scott: It definitely is.
Chris Simms: If you watched the College Football Playoff, Agent Zero was everywhere. You’re listed at 6-foot, 195 — but you play like you think you’re bigger than that.
Keionte Scott: You’ve got to play big at all times, especially at nickel. There are different responsibilities — fitting in the box and things like that. You’ve got to play strong. The confidence builds me up to about 6’3 in my mind. I just try to play confident.
Chris Simms: Nickel all the way in the NFL? I know you can play outside, but watching you, you seem like the perfect modern NFL nickel.
Keionte Scott: I appreciate that. I just see myself as a versatile defensive back. A nickel has to be a linebacker, defensive end, corner, safety — all at different times. Those are things I pride myself on. I label myself as a defensive back. I don’t want to limit myself to one position. I’m willing to play anywhere for whatever team picks me.
Chris Simms: What’s your goal in the 40?
Keionte Scott: To run fast. I want to put myself in the top caliber among the draftable guys. I’m looking forward to it.
Chris Simms: You’re doing everything this week?
Keionte Scott: Oh yeah, I’m doing it all.
Chris Simms: Growing up, favorite team? Favorite player?
Keionte Scott: I’ve got to go with the Seahawks — the Legion of Boom. Watching that defense flow around — Kam Chancellor and those guys — that attracted me as a kid.
Chris Simms: That was prime time. The best defense in football.
Keionte Scott: Man, crazy. Those DBs — I was locked in with them.
Chris Simms: You were a good receiver in high school and played both ways. What made you commit to defense?
Keionte Scott: I was actually going to try to play both ways at junior college. But I started thinking about longevity. There are a lot of great receivers. There are a lot of great defensive backs too, but I felt like I saw more longevity for myself on the defensive side. I’m glad I made that choice.
Chris Simms: What are evaluators telling you? What do they love? What do they want you to improve?
Keionte Scott: Teams love the versatility, the willingness to tackle, fit in the box, cover. As far as improvement, I play aggressive. When you play aggressive and physical, you’re flying around. I get to the spot to make the tackle, but sometimes I’m a little out of control. That’s something I’m working on — keeping that aggression but controlling it so I can finish consistently.
Chris Simms: Fair. Before we let you go, look into the camera and say hello to anyone you want.
Keionte Scott: Hello, Mom. Hello to my family back home. Shout out San Diego. I’m looking forward to repping the city for sure.
Chris Simms: What’s up, Mom? What’s up, San Diego? Before you go — and don’t give me a safe answer — who’s the best player you played against in college?
Keionte Scott: I’m going to go Bryce Young. When we went to Tuscaloosa, he just knew every defense we were in. He’d motion backs out to identify man or zone. Little things like that. It felt like he had all the answers to what we were trying to do. He was a great player to go against.
Chris Simms: You’ll see him again soon — maybe as a teammate, maybe on the other side. Keionte Scott, thanks for your time. Congratulations, and best of luck in the draft.
Keionte Scott: Appreciate you guys. Go Canes.
Chris Simms: Joining us now, Miami defensive back Keionte Scott — aka Zip, aka Agent Zero. What do you prefer, Zip or Agent Zero?
Keionte Scott: I’ve got to go Agent Zero. That was a gift from my coach, Cristobal, so I’ve got to keep that one.
Chris Simms: The coach gave you that one, so you’re like, “All right, I’ll wear it.” And you did wear number zero. Where does Zip come from?
Keionte Scott: Zip is more for my teammates. It’s short for zero — like zip. And I pride myself on being able to lock things down.
Chris Simms: So zero is like zip — you’re not getting anything.
Keionte Scott: Nothing.
Chris Simms: I like that. I might make that stick in your NFL career. You just better get drafted to a team that has zero available or it’s going to cost you some money.
Keionte Scott: To be honest, I just want to get in there first. I’m not really worried about the number. I’ll wear 58 if I have to.
Chris Simms: Right. How did you end up at Miami? It feels like that roster is full of South Florida guys. You’re from San Diego. How did that all work out?
Keionte Scott: It was a long journey. I had to go the junior college route out of high school and go through a learning curve — learning how to do things the right way, handle business off the field, in the classroom. Then I went to Auburn and thrived for a little while, hit a down year, had different things going on. I was searching for comfortability.
Having Coach Cristobal on staff — he recruited me out of junior college — that was big. Coach Harris recruited me when he was at Washington, and Coach Zac Etheridge was with me at Auburn. I committed to him there. So that familiarity made me super comfortable, and that’s why I made the decision.
Chris Simms: I’ve got to read this comment from a former Snow College coach about you. He said you’re a phenomenal player, but also outgoing and inclusive. The teachers loved you. The food service ladies loved you. The janitors loved you. That says a lot — how you treat people who can’t necessarily help you directly. That speaks highly of your character.
Keionte Scott: I appreciate that. I feel like it’s important to talk to people. You never know what someone’s going through. Just saying hello might change their day. I pride myself on speaking to everybody. The ladies in the front office, I call them “best friend,” just checking in. They always check on us, so I try to return that favor.
Chris Simms: I can tell that’s natural to you.
Keionte Scott: It definitely is.
Chris Simms: If you watched the College Football Playoff, Agent Zero was everywhere. You’re listed at 6-foot, 195 — but you play like you think you’re bigger than that.
Keionte Scott: You’ve got to play big at all times, especially at nickel. There are different responsibilities — fitting in the box and things like that. You’ve got to play strong. The confidence builds me up to about 6’3 in my mind. I just try to play confident.
Chris Simms: Nickel all the way in the NFL? I know you can play outside, but watching you, you seem like the perfect modern NFL nickel.
Keionte Scott: I appreciate that. I just see myself as a versatile defensive back. A nickel has to be a linebacker, defensive end, corner, safety — all at different times. Those are things I pride myself on. I label myself as a defensive back. I don’t want to limit myself to one position. I’m willing to play anywhere for whatever team picks me.
Chris Simms: What’s your goal in the 40?
Keionte Scott: To run fast. I want to put myself in the top caliber among the draftable guys. I’m looking forward to it.
Chris Simms: You’re doing everything this week?
Keionte Scott: Oh yeah, I’m doing it all.
Chris Simms: Growing up, favorite team? Favorite player?
Keionte Scott: I’ve got to go with the Seahawks — the Legion of Boom. Watching that defense flow around — Kam Chancellor and those guys — that attracted me as a kid.
Chris Simms: That was prime time. The best defense in football.
Keionte Scott: Man, crazy. Those DBs — I was locked in with them.
Chris Simms: You were a good receiver in high school and played both ways. What made you commit to defense?
Keionte Scott: I was actually going to try to play both ways at junior college. But I started thinking about longevity. There are a lot of great receivers. There are a lot of great defensive backs too, but I felt like I saw more longevity for myself on the defensive side. I’m glad I made that choice.
Chris Simms: What are evaluators telling you? What do they love? What do they want you to improve?
Keionte Scott: Teams love the versatility, the willingness to tackle, fit in the box, cover. As far as improvement, I play aggressive. When you play aggressive and physical, you’re flying around. I get to the spot to make the tackle, but sometimes I’m a little out of control. That’s something I’m working on — keeping that aggression but controlling it so I can finish consistently.
Chris Simms: Fair. Before we let you go, look into the camera and say hello to anyone you want.
Keionte Scott: Hello, Mom. Hello to my family back home. Shout out San Diego. I’m looking forward to repping the city for sure.
Chris Simms: What’s up, Mom? What’s up, San Diego? Before you go — and don’t give me a safe answer — who’s the best player you played against in college?
Keionte Scott: I’m going to go Bryce Young. When we went to Tuscaloosa, he just knew every defense we were in. He’d motion backs out to identify man or zone. Little things like that. It felt like he had all the answers to what we were trying to do. He was a great player to go against.
Chris Simms: You’ll see him again soon — maybe as a teammate, maybe on the other side. Keionte Scott, thanks for your time. Congratulations, and best of luck in the draft.
Keionte Scott: Appreciate you guys. Go Canes.
