Ke'Shawn LaMont Vaughn (born May 4, 1997) is an American professional football running back. He played college football for the Illinois Fighting Illini and Vanderbilt Commodores. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in third round of 2020 NFL draft, Vaughn has also played for the New England Patriots.

Ke'Shawn Vaughn
refer to caption
Vaughn with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2021
Personal information
Born: (1997-05-04) May 4, 1997 (age 27)
Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.
Height:5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight:214 lb (97 kg)
Career information
High school:Pearl-Cohn
(Nashville, Tennessee)
College:Illinois (2015–2016)
Vanderbilt (2017–2019)
Position:Running back
NFL draft:2020 / round: 3 / pick: 76
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of 2023
Rushing yards:384
Rushing average:3.7
Rushing touchdowns:2
Receptions:14
Receiving yards:81
Receiving touchdowns:1
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Early life

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Vaughn attended Pearl-Cohn Comprehensive High School in Nashville, Tennessee. As a senior, he rushed for 2,646 yards and 45 touchdowns and was named the Tennessee Gatorade Football Player of the Year.[1] Vaughn was also a high school track and field standout, anchoring the state champion 4 x 100m relay his senior year.[2] A 4-star running back recruit, Vaughn committed to the University of Illinois to play college football over offers from Louisville, Notre Dame, Purdue, and West Virginia, among others.[3][4]

College career

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As a true freshman at Illinois in 2015, Vaughn rushed for 723 yards on 157 carries with six touchdowns.[5] As a sophomore in 2016, he had 301 rushing yards on 60 carries and three touchdowns. After the season, Vaughn transferred to Vanderbilt University.[6] After redshirting his first year at Vanderbilt in 2017 due to transfer rules, he rushed for 1,244 yards on 157 carries and 12 touchdowns in 2018.[7][8] Vaughn returned to Vanderbilt for his senior season in 2019 rather than declare for the 2019 NFL draft.[9]

Professional career

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Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split Vertical jump Broad jump
5 ft 9+58 in
(1.77 m)
214 lb
(97 kg)
30+78 in
(0.78 m)
8+78 in
(0.23 m)
4.51 s 1.62 s 2.66 s 32.0 in
(0.81 m)
9 ft 9 in
(2.97 m)
All values from NFL Combine[10][11]

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

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Vaughn was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the third round, 76th overall, of the 2020 NFL draft.[12] He was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list on July 27, 2020.[13] He was activated on August 9, 2020.[14] Vaughn scored his first professional touchdown on a nine-yard reception from Tom Brady in a Week 4 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers.[15] Overall, Vaughn finished his rookie season with 26 carries for 109 rushing yards in ten games.[16] Vaughn earned a Super Bowl ring when the Buccaneers defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 31–9 in Super Bowl LV.[17]

On December 26, 2021, in a game against the Carolina Panthers, Vaughn scored the first rushing touchdown of his career on a 55-yard tote, the longest score of the year on the ground for the Buccaneers.[18]

Vaughn was waived by the Buccaneers on December 15, 2023.[19]

New England Patriots

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On December 19, 2023, the New England Patriots signed Vaughn to their practice squad.[20] He signed a reserve/future contract on January 8, 2024.[21] On May 13, Vaughn was released by the Patriots.[22]

San Francisco 49ers

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On August 7, 2024, Vaughn signed with the San Francisco 49ers.[23] He was released by the team on August 26, and re-signed to the practice squad.[24][25] On November 12, 2024, Vaughn was released by the 49ers.[26]

References

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  1. ^ Murphy, Michael (December 18, 2014). "Pearl-Cohn's Vaughn gets Gatorade award in mail". USA Today. Gannett. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
  2. ^ Sparks, Adam (August 6, 2019). "Vanderbilt football transfer Cam Watkins makes fast competition for high school teammate Ke'Shawn Vaughn". The Tennessean. Gannett. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
  3. ^ Murphy, Michael (February 4, 2015). "Ke'Shawn Vaughn happy college decision is made". The Tennessean. Gannett. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
  4. ^ "Ke'Shawn Vaughn, 2015 Running Back, Illinois".
  5. ^ Daniels, Matt (October 4, 2015). "Vaughn off to a running start with Illini". The News-Gazette. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
  6. ^ Sparks, Adam (January 31, 2017). "Pearl-Cohn's Ke'Shawn Vaughn transferring to Vanderbilt from Illinois". The Tennessean. Gannett. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
  7. ^ Holt, Bob (July 29, 2019). "Match worth wait for 'Dores, Vaughn". Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. WEHCO Media. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
  8. ^ "Vanderbilt Football: Ke'Shawn Vaughn is the SEC's Unknown Star". Athlon Sports. AMG/Parade. June 28, 2019. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
  9. ^ Boclair, David (January 11, 2019). "Ke'Shawn Vaughn decides NFL can wait". NashvillePost.com. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
  10. ^ "Ke'Shawn Vaughn Combine Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  11. ^ "2020 Draft Scout KeShawn Vaughn, Vanderbilt NFL Draft Scout College Football Profile". draftscout.com. Retrieved November 6, 2022.
  12. ^ Vitali, Carmen (April 24, 2020). "Bucs Add Work Horse Ke'Shawn Vaughn to Running Back Stable". www.buccaneers.com. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  13. ^ Smith, Scott (July 27, 2020). "Buccaneers Place Ke'Shawn Vaughn on Reserve/COVID-19 List". Buccaneers.com. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
  14. ^ Smith, Scott (August 9, 2020). "Bucs Activate Ke'Shawn Vaughn, Re-Sign WR Jaydon Mickens". Buccaneers.com. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
  15. ^ "Los Angeles Chargers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers - October 4th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  16. ^ "Ke'Shawn Vaughn 2020 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 8, 2021.
  17. ^ Patra, Kevin (February 7, 2021). "What we learned from Buccaneers win over Chiefs in Super Bowl LV". NFL.com. Retrieved March 8, 2021.
  18. ^ "Ke'shawn Vaughn makes his mark with first NFL rushing TD, which is Tampa Bay Buccaneers' longest of season". December 26, 2021.
  19. ^ Smith, Scott (December 15, 2023). "Bucs Waive Ke'Shawn Vaughn". Buccaneers.com.
  20. ^ "Patriots Make A Series of Transactions". Patriots.com. December 19, 2023.
  21. ^ "Patriots Sign Seven Players to Future Contracts". Patriots.com. January 8, 2024.
  22. ^ "Patriots Sign Four Rookie Free Agents; Release RB Ke'Shawn Vaughn". Patriots.com. Retrieved May 13, 2024.
  23. ^ "49ers Sign a Wide Receiver and Running Back, Release a Safety and More". 49ers.com. August 7, 2024.
  24. ^ "49ers Release RBs Breida, Vaughn; Waive Three Other Players". 49ers.com. August 26, 2024. Retrieved August 26, 2024.
  25. ^ "49ers Sign a Wide Receiver and Running Back to the Practice Squad". 49ers.com. August 29, 2024.
  26. ^ "49ers Sign RB Patrick Taylor Jr. to the Practice Squad, Release a Running Back". 49ers.com. November 12, 2024. Retrieved November 13, 2024.
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