Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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2016 RECRUITING ISSUE The academic opportunity at Notre Dame was important, as was the chance to compete for early playing time. Saulsberry noted the Irish coach- ing staff made sure Vaughn knew he could possibly see the field right away. Vaughn is also different when it comes to his size and position. There are simply not very many 6-3 corner- backs, which leads some to assume his future is at safety. Notre Dame also featured something that no other school had to offer —de- fensive backs coach Todd Lyght. "They favor each other a lot in stat- ure and everything else," Saulsberry explained. "When the person that is recruiting you looks like you, has the same body type as you and has been where you want to go, I think that had a great influence on him." Vaughn wants to achieve the same on-field success that Lyght had at Notre Dame, which includes being a two-time All-American, a national champion and a first-round NFL Draft pick at cornerback. "He felt he could learn a lot from Coach Lyght at the position and learn to play cornerback at the highest level," the Whitehaven head coach noted. Vaughn is still learning the posi- tion, but Saulsberry believes he has the skill and work ethic to be a dominant player. "You can't teach 6-3, you can't teach long, and you can't teach physicality. All those things he had naturally," Saulsberry said. "But Donté wants to be a technician. He wants to be the best, and he's willing to put in the work to get it done." ✦