HOOVER, Ala. -- After Vanderbilt running back Ke'Shawn Vaughn missed the second half of the Commodores' game against Florida and didn't play against Kentucky because of a concussion, he was ready to roll at Reynolds Razorback Stadium last season.
"Arkansas was my first game back," Vaughn said at SEC media days. "So that was a time for me to show who I was. I went out there and played football."
Vanderbilt schedule
Aug. 31;Georgia*
Sept. 7;at Purdue
Sept. 14;LSU*
Sept. 28;Northern Illinois
Oct. 5;at Ole Miss*
Oct. 12;UNLV
Oct. 19;Missouri*
Nov. 2;at South Carolina*
Nov. 9;at Florida*
Nov. 16;Kentucky*
Nov. 23;East Tennessee State
Nov. 30;at Tennessee*
*SEC game
Vanderbilt glance
LAST SEASON 6-7, 3-5 (sixth in SEC East)
COACH Derek Mason (24-38 in five seasons at Vanderbilt)
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR Gary Gdowski (sixth year)
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR Jason Tarver (second year)
KEY PLAYERS RB Ke’Shawn Vaughn, TE Jared Pinkney, WR Kalija Lipscomb, DE Dayo Odebyingbo, LB Dimitri Moore, OT Devin Cochran.
SEC TITLE SCENARIO The Commodores have three of the top offensive players in the SEC in Vaughn, Pinkney and Lipscomb, but they need to find a capable replacement for quarterback Kyle Shurmur. The top candidates are senior Riley Neal, a graduate transfer from Ball State, and junior Deuce Wallace. If Neal or Wallace play well, the Commodores could make a bowl game for the third time in four years.
Vaughn had a career-high 26 carries for 172 yards and 3 touchdowns to lead Vanderbilt to a 45-31 victory over the University of Arkansas.
That was the start of a big finish for Vaughn, who rushed for 749 yards and 7 touchdowns in his final five games, including 243 yards on 13 carries against Baylor in the Texas Bowl.
"I remember for that stretch of games, Ke'Shawn seemed to bust big runs on every drive," Vanderbilt senior wide receiver Kalija Lipscomb said. "He showed he could really separate from guys down the field for long touchdowns."
Vaughn, a fifth-year senior from Nashville, Tenn., was voted a first-team All-SEC running back at media days, but Lipscomb said Vaughn deserves even more recognition.
"No. 1, point blank, period, he's the best running back in college football," Lipscomb said. "If you look at him and what he brings to the table, you look at how competitive he is -- and his raw talent to finish and make people miss -- he's the best in my eyes."
Vaughn, 5-10, 222 pounds, finished last season with 157 carries for 1,244 yards and 12 touchdowns, and 13 catches for 170 yards and 2 touchdowns.
"Ke'Shawn proved when he stepped on the field a year ago that he's one of the best backs in the country," Commodores Coach Derek Mason said. "He's a three-dimensional running back who can run, block and catch. I mean, he can do it all."
Vaughn averaged an SEC-best 7.9 yards per carry last season.
"The biggest thing that you see about Ke'Shawn is that when he touches the ball, he's hard to tackle," Mason said. "The young man's dynamic.
"I've seen him cut back across the grain and outrun angles. How often do you see that? He can run over you. He can run around you."
Vanderbilt was among many colleges that offered Vaughn a scholarship -- in addition to Illinois, Notre Dame, Tennessee, Purdue and West Virginia -- after he rushed for 2,646 yards and 45 touchdowns as a senior at Pearl-Cohn High School. At that time, he chose against staying home to play for Illinois.
James Franklin had left Vanderbilt to become Penn State's coach after leading the Commodores to back-to-back 9-4 seasons in 2012 and 2013, and they dropped to 3-9 in Mason's first season in 2014.
"Obviously, when I started my program, Ke'Shawn saw us go through a rough first year and decided to go away to school," Mason said. "But we always stayed in contact in terms of me cheering him on when he was at the University of Illinois."
There was plenty to cheer Vaughn for as a freshman in 2015, when he led the Illini with 157 carries for 723 yards.
Things changed the next season when Lovie Smith took over as the Illinois coach. Vaughn's stats dropped to 60 carries for 301 yards. He had just three carries in the final three games.
"I got moved from starter to third string," Vaughn said. "To this day, I can't answer why that situation occurred, because I still don't know. I haven't found out yet."
Vaughn said he knew he had to transfer, and Vanderbilt was where he wanted to go.
"I had a bond with Coach Mason that allowed me to come back home," Vaughn said. "He always told me there was a scholarship on the table for me, and he welcomed me with open arms."
Mason said he and Vaughn developed a strong relationship through the recruiting process.
"When he left, I know he had a mindset of, 'Maybe I need to go, but Coach, I appreciate who you are,' " Mason said. "When he decided to come back, there was no animosity. I thought he was the same guy."
Vaughn redshirted in 2017 because of NCAA transfer rules. He said his game improved by playing on the scout-team offense.
"I knew that I was going to have to sit out a year, so I had already accepted that," he said. "Playing against the first-team defense every practice, I could focus on getting better at the little things. My cuts, my jukes, catching the ball."
Vaughn said he considered entering the NFL Draft after last season, but decided to return to Vanderbilt after meeting with Mason.
"I feel like I still have things to prove on the college level," Vaughn said. "I feel like I can break records. That's something I'm chasing.
"I can still get better. Get my name out there more."
Vaughn was asked at media days about how he views himself among SEC running backs.
"As the best," he said. "I feel like everybody should view themselves as the best. That's why I came to the SEC."
Sports on 07/29/2019