Auburn Football Injury Update: The Latest on Hugh Freeze Before Cal

Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze seems confident that the Tigers can return an injured defensive lineman for Saturday's game against Cal, although the status of this key player in Auburn's secondary is in question.

Defensive player Isaiah Raikes, who transferred in the offseason, was held back and did not play in Auburn's season opener against Alabama A&M to give his ankle “a little more rest,” Freeze said after Saturday's win.

However, in the Week 2 game against Cal, Raikes is expected to make his Auburn debut after starting his career at Texas A&M and then briefly transferring to USC.

“I expect Isaiah to be ready,” Freeze said of Raikes during his press conference Monday morning.

Meanwhile, Auburn junior cornerback Champ Anthony played limited time in the season opener, although Freeze made it sound like it was more of a precautionary measure than anything else.

“Champ is dealing with a calf strain,” Freeze said of Anthony. “He really could have played more snaps, but we just want to make sure we try to get him as healthy as possible.”

Freeze also briefly mentioned veteran defensive back Keionte Scott, who struggled with persistent hamstring issues throughout much of fall practice and only appeared in 13 snaps on defense while also making four punt returners against Alabama A&M.

“We want to keep him as healthy as possible,” Freeze said in response to a question about whether Scott is Auburn's best punt returner. “But we definitely need him back there.”

Freeze and the Tigers will play their second game of the 2024 season on Saturday afternoon, hosting the Cal Golden Bears, who may have some major injury news of their own, as starting running back Jaydn Ott apparently left Cal's game against UC-Davis in the third quarter with an ankle injury but did not return.

After the game, Cal head coach Justin Wilcox had no update on Ott's injury.