Adrian Killins Jr. has been a lightning rod ever since he said Auburn is in for "rude awakening" in the Peach Bowl because the Tigers haven't seen the likes of UCF in the SEC, which he believes doesn't "have a lot of speed."

But beyond youthful bravado, what has the sophomore running back, who has 762 rushing yards and 11 total touchdowns for the No. 12 Knights (12-0) so confident?

Just how fast is Killins, a two-time Florida high school state 3A champion in the 200-meter dash and runner-up in the 100-meters?

Well, as a junior at Mainland High School in 2015 he ran faster than Auburn's Javaris Davis, then a senior at Ed White High School, 10.55 seconds to 11.21 in a preliminary heat of the Florida state championship in the 100-meter dash. The year before, Davis finished second (10.58) and Killins finished seventh (10.93) in the event.

Now a redshirt-sophomore cornerback for the Tigers, Davis is widely considered the fastest player on Auburn's roster.

Made aware of that feat against his teammate, Auburn safety Stephen Roberts credited Killins.

"He beat JD? So he must be good at running," Roberts said. "Field speed is different from track speed."

On the field, Killins has three 100-yard rushing games this season, with a season-high 145 yards against SMU, with touchdown runs of 34 and 64 yards. He also had an 87-yard scoring run against Michigan as a true freshman last season.

Auburn linebacker Deshaun Davis said Killins, who has not been available for interviews since making his critical remarks while in Orlando earlier this month, is "very fast" but also "nothing that we haven't seen week-in and week-out" because every SEC team has "at least one elite sprinter." However, Deshaun Davis did say Killins is probably the fastest running back Auburn will face this season.

"When you see him run, he has the right to say that he's fast," Deshaun Davis said. "We respect his speed. We respect his game, he's a very talented running back. We're going to see what happens Monday. ... We just go to keep him bottled up and when 11 guys get to the ball we'll see what the response is."

Roberts compared the 5-foot-8, 158-pound Killins to former Mississippi State running back Brandon Holloway and linebacker Tre' Williams compared him to former Auburn speedster Corey Grant.

"Seeing (Grant) take speed sweeps, that was amazing to me," Williams said. "So I'm pretty sure it'll be just like that."

UCF coaches and players have tried to walk back Killins' remarks over the past two weeks. Knights quarterback McKenzie Milton appreciates the confidence of his tailback, but admitted he was scratching his head after hearing the comments.

"If you think Auburn has as guy faster than Adrian Killins, I'd like to see that," Milton said. "... But to say the SEC doesn't have a lot of speed, I don't know about that."

James Crepea is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @JamesCrepea.