How K-State star Deuce Vaughn is handling Heisman, NFL buzz ahead of junior season
It wasn’t that long ago that some questioned if Deuce Vaughn was tall enough to play running back for a college football team like Kansas State, let alone become a consensus All-American after just two seasons with the Wildcats.
And yet, here Vaughn is preparing for his junior season with the loftiest expectations imaginable as if he was starring in a feel-good sports movie.
These days experts describe the 5-foot-6 playmaker from Round Rock, Texas as a Heisman Trophy contender, a future NFL Draft pick and the face of K-State football. That’s what happens when you amass 2,936 yards of total offense and score 31 touchdowns in your first two seasons ... while improbably earning consensus All-America honors as an all-purpose player.
Some may now wonder if the hype associated with Vaughn will have an impact on his personality or his game. It’s happened before. But he isn’t worried about outside noise.
“From an expectations standpoint, to have my name mentioned like that, it brings a sense that I have a lot of work to do throughout the summer going into fall camp,” Vaughn said. “But it’s never something I’m focusing on. This is a very team-driven program and I have fallen right into that culture. I am eager to get back with my guys this summer. Everything else will take of itself.”
Vaughn was reminded of what it takes to be an elite player earlier this spring when he served as a counselor at a football camp in Santa Monica, California with some of the biggest names in the college game.
He got to meet Alabama quarterback Bryce Young, Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud, Texas running back Bijan Robinson and several other players who are considered preseason Heisman contenders. Spending time with them away from the football field was a thrill for him.
“To be able to hang out with guys of that caliber and to be able to pick their brains and talk to them about football and build relationships with them was big time,” Vaughn said. “I got to see the other side of things. You have all these amazing players there that you play against every weekend but I got to know them as people.”
K-State football coach Chris Klieman has long praised Vaughn as one of the most mature players on the team, despite his young age. But Vaughn seems to be an even more sophisticated football player now that he has returned to Manhattan for summer workouts.
When asked if seeing former teammates Skylar Thompson and Russ Yeast reach the NFL made him think about his own professional future, Vaughn didn’t blink.
“I’m not looking ahead that far,” he said.
Vaughn is more concerned with helping the Wildcats compete for a Big 12 championship next season, which he thinks is possible with the arrival of Nebraska transfer Adrian Martinez at quarterback.
With the help of a skilled offensive line and some veteran receivers, Vaughn thinks they could form a one-two running punch similar to what K-State fans witnessed in 2003 with Ell Roberson and Darren Sproles. He’s not bold enough to predict that, by any means, but he admits it’s possible.
“From an athleticism standpoint, he can do it all,” Vaughn said of Martinez. “I’m super excited to see how he progresses as a Kansas State Wildcat. He glides. It’s crazy to think about whenever he was injured and couldn’t throw the ball he would step in for a read option and run away from guys.”
Still, all eyes will be on Vaughn next season.
He has a plan for handling the extra attention. It’s not much different from the mindset he had when he left high school. Back then, he remembers writing the words “All-American” on a list of his college goals. Now that he has crossed that off, he’s aiming for more while staying true to the approach that got him this far.
“There are going to be a lot of expectations going into this season, my third year. It’s crazy to think about,” Vaughn said. “But I can’t change anything that I have done to meet those expectations. I’m going to attack every day and still try to get crumbs off the table just like I was as a freshman.”