Deuce Vaughn
Christopher "Deuce" Vaughn II (born November 2, 2001) is an American football running back for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Kansas State.
 Vaughn in 2021 | |
| No. 42 – Dallas Cowboys | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Running back |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | November 2, 2001 Fayetteville, Arkansas, U.S. |
| Height: | 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m) |
| Weight: | 179 lb (81 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Cedar Ridge (Round Rock, Texas) |
| College: | Kansas State (2020–2022) |
| NFL Draft: | 2023 / Round: 6 / Pick: 212 |
| Career history | |
| |
| Roster status: | Active |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Career NFL statistics | |
| Player stats at NFL.com · PFR | |
Early years
Vaughn moved frequently growing up due to his father's occupation as a college football coach before settling in Round Rock, Texas and attended Cedar Ridge High School, where he played football and ran track.[1]
As a junior, he collected 1,901 rushing yards, 21 rushing touchdowns, 9 receptions, 159 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown. He received honorable-mention all-state honors from the Texas Sports Writers Association.
As a senior, Vaughn broke Cedar Ridge's single-season rushing record with 1,938 yards, while having 589 receiving yards and 25 touchdowns. He rushed for 375 yards against Round Rock High School and 302 yards with 5 touchdowns against Westwood High School.[2] He received his second straight District 13-6A Offensive MVP award.
He finished his high school career with 4,405 rushing yards and 38 rushing touchdowns, 914 receiving yards, 11 receiving touchdowns, 153 return yards and 5,472 all-purpose yards.
College career
2020 season
Vaughn accepted a football scholarship from Kansas State University. He entered his true freshman season as one of the Wildcats' top running backs and became the team's starter over Harry Trotter early in the season.[3]
He registered 123 carries for 642 rushing yards, seven rushing touchdowns, 25 receptions for 434 yards, two receiving touchdowns, and seven kickoff returns for 145 yards. He was named the Big 12 Conference Offensive Freshman of the Year and second-team All-Conference.[4][5]
2021 season
Vaughn entered his sophomore season on the watch list for the Doak Walker Award.[6][7] He tallied 235 carries for 1,404 yards (6-yard avg.), 18 rushing touchdowns, 49 receptions for 468 yards (9-yard avg.) and 4 receiving touchdowns.
He posted 162 rushing yards (career-high), 70 receiving yards, including an 80-yard touchdown run against the University of Kansas. He had 146 rushing yards, 3 rushing touchdowns and one receiving touchdown in the 2022 Texas Bowl 42-10 win against Louisiana State University.
2022 season
As a junior, he recorded 293 carries for 1,558 yards (5.3-yard avg.), 9 rushing touchdowns, 42 receptions for 378 yards (9-yard avg.), 3 receiving touchdowns and 1,936 all-purpose yards. He became the third player in school history with multiple 1,000-yard rushing seasons and the first player with 1,000 rushing yards and 1,000 receiving yards in a career.
He had 147 rushing yards and a touchdown in the regular-season finale against the University of Kansas. He tallied 130 rushing yards and one touchdown in the Big 12 championship game 31-28 overtime victory against Texas Christian University.[8] He had 133 rushing yards, including an 88-yard touchdown, in the 45-20 2022 Sugar Bowl loss against the University of Alabama.[9] At the end of the season, he chose to forgo his senior season to enter the 2022 NFL Draft.[10]
He finished his college career with 651 carries (second in school history), 3,604 rushing yards (second in school history), 5.5-yard average, 34 rushing touchdowns, twenty one 100-yard rushing games (second in school history), 116 receptions for 1,280 yards (11-yard avg.), 9 receiving touchdowns, 7 kickoff returns for 145 yards (20.7-yard avg.), 5,029 all-purpose yards (third in school history), 258 points scored (sixth in school history) and 279 rushing yards in bowl games (school record). He was one of just two Big 12 players to ever register 3,600 rushing yards and 1,250 receiving yards in a career (DeMarco Murray). He was named a Consensus All-American for the 2021 and 2022 seasons.
Professional career
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m) |
179 lb (81 kg) |
27+3⁄4 in (0.70 m) |
9+1⁄2 in (0.24 m) | 4.56 s | 1.59 s | 2.67 s | 4.22 s | 7.10 s | 35.5 in (0.90 m) | 9 ft 8 in (2.95 m) | 17 reps | |
| Sources:[12][13] | ||||||||||||
Vaughn was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the sixth round (212th overall) of the 2023 NFL Draft. His father, who is a scout for the Cowboys, called Vaughn to tell him he had been drafted.[14] With a measurement at the combine of 5'5", Vaughn became the shortest running back ever drafted since the NFL began tracking the combine.[15]
Personal life
Vaughn's father, Chris, played college football at Murray State and is a scout for the Dallas Cowboys after previously working as an assistant coach at Arkansas, Ole Miss, Memphis and Texas.[16]
References
- "K-State Wildcats Football: Deuce Vaughn recruiting feature". The Wichita Eagle. October 15, 2020. Retrieved August 23, 2021.
- "Former Cedar Ridge RB Deuce Vaughn turning heads at Kansas State". Austin American-Statesman. September 10, 2020. Retrieved August 23, 2021.
- Olson, Max (October 28, 2020). "The superpower of Deuce Vaughn, Kansas State's 5-5 phenom". The Athletic. Retrieved August 23, 2021.
- "Chris Klieman excited about more Kansas State running backs than just Deuce Vaughn". The Topeka Capital-Journal. July 20, 2021. Retrieved August 23, 2021.
- "All-Big 12 team: K-State RB Deuce Vaughn, Breece Hall honors". The Wichita Eagle. December 17, 2020. Retrieved August 23, 2021.
- "Kansas State running back Deuce Vaughn named to Doak". The Manhattan Mercury. July 21, 2021. Retrieved August 23, 2021.
- https://www.kansas.com/sports/college/big-12/kansas-state/article252877458.html
- "No. 3 TCU loses 31-28 in OT to K-State in Big 12 title game". December 31, 2022. Retrieved April 30, 2023.
- "Young throws for 5 TDs, Alabama tops K-State in Sugar Bowl". December 3, 2022. Retrieved April 30, 2023.
- "Kansas State football running back Deuce Vaughn declares for NFL draft". January 2, 2023. Retrieved April 30, 2023.
- "Deuce Vaughn College Stats". Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved August 30, 2022.
- "Deuce Vaughn Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved April 30, 2023.
- "2023 NFL Draft Scout Deuce Vaughn College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved April 30, 2023.
- "Cowboys use 6th-round pick on Deuce Vaughn, son of team scout". April 29, 2023. Retrieved April 30, 2023.
- "NFL Draft: Cowboys grab productive but undersized RB Deuce Vaughn, son of Cowboys scout". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
- "K-State's Vaughn, son of Dallas Cowboys scout, stars vs. TCU". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. October 11, 2020. Retrieved August 23, 2021.