TAMPA, Fla. – It would have been easy to understand had Jason Vaughn left USF and completed his college football career elsewhere. After all, he has had three head coaches and four defensive coordinators since his freshman season of 2019, not to mention the losses that were piling up. (Can you name the coordinators? See end of column.)
In a refreshing way, one that is contrary to much of what we see and hear with respect to college athletics these days, Vaughn greatly values the opportunity he received as a teen with few college football options.
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“USF took a chance on me,” said the hybrid linebacker/end. “Coming out of prep school without any D1 offers, I think it is only right to pay that forward and stay loyal to the program. I was able to be on scholarship for a few years and I was able to get my master’s degree (in entrepreneurship in the spring). I feel this is the place I am supposed to be. There is a reason I am here.”
Again, isn’t that refreshing?
The 24-year-old Vaughn, who played the 2018 season at Advance Prep Academy in Polk County before arriving at USF, did not spend much time on the field last season, which would have been his last with the Bulls. He tore the meniscus and MCL in his right knee on the first play of the first preseason scrimmage. At least initially, Vaughn did his best to remain on the field and fight through it.
“The best way I could explain it, is that it felt like shards of glass in my knee,” said the South Florida native, who played at Miami Palmetto High.
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After four games, Vaughn felt enough was enough and took a redshirt, which enabled him to return this year.
“I gave everything I had for the first four games and then I thought it was in the best interest of the team for me to redshirt, get (the knee) right and come back (this year) 100 percent,” said Vaughn, who is on the Comeback Player of the Year watch list.
A year after getting accustomed to yet another new staff and many new teammates, Vaughn not only notices a big difference in the 2024 Bulls, but how the program has evolved under coach Alex Golesh.
“The team is more led by players this year than it was last year, when it was the coaches,” he said. “I think that is huge for team morale, team success and holding guys accountable, which is a big piece. There was a culture shift between two years ago and last year. Now that we have this foundation that we set, the standard that we set, we are able to build on top of that foundation.”
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Vaughn is one who looks on the bright side, which is a good thing given what he went through last year. As for playing for three head coaches and four DCs? Well, he feels it has only helped him learn and grow.
“My mindset is that the glass is half full,” he said. “Being around all those coaches, different schemes and different people, I feel like it is more beneficial than it is a negative because you never get the opportunity to get too comfortable. You learn a lot of different schemes and I feel like the best ability is availability.”
The four defensive coordinators Vaughn has had are Brian Jean-Mary (2019), Glenn Spencer (2020-21), Bob Shoop (2022) and Todd Orlando (2023-24).
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