Listed Measurements: 6-foot-2 ¾, 205 pounds
2018-19 year, eligibility: Vaughn is a junior on a prototypical eligibility path, now having only two years remaining, including the 2018 season.
Depth chart: Backing up a second-team All-American can be a thankless and quiet role, one which Vaughn is becoming familiar with behind junior boundary cornerback Julian Love.
Recruiting: A consensus four-star prospect, Vaughn turned down the likes of Auburn, LSU and Miami to choose Notre Dame. Rivals.com considered him the No. 20 safety in the country.
CAREER TO DATE
The 2016 secondary was ravaged by dismissals and injuries, forcing a number of freshmen into action, including Vaughn. With Shaun Crawford’s and Nick Watkins’ returns in 2017, as well as the continued emergence of Love, Vaughn’s role became less significant as a sophomore.
2016: 10 games, four starts; 22 tackles with six pass breakups and one interception.
2017: Nine games; six tackles, including three in the fourth quarter of a 38-18 victory at Michigan State.
QUOTE(S)
Along with the revived depth at his position, Vaughn’s sophomore season was limited by injuries that greatly restricted his springtime work a year ago. This spring he finally showed he had progressed past those issues, per Irish cornerbacks coach Todd Lyght.
“Donte Vaughn is having an outstanding spring,” Lyght said in early April. “Last spring was extremely tough for him, dealing with the back injury and the nerve issue that he had where he was having a lot of shooting pains down his leg. He’s not hampered by that now. His development and his progression has been great.”
WHAT WAS PROJECTED A YEAR AGO
“Notre Dame will rely on its veteran linebackers to compensate for a weakness along the defensive line’s interior. Similarly, the Irish will count on its cornerback depth to assist its inexperienced safeties. With that in mind, all five cornerbacks will be needed, including Vaughn.
“His length and high school playing experience make Vaughn an intriguing last-ditch possibility for a safety replenishment. Even if that does not come to be, those attributes make Vaughn nearly the ideal extra defensive back in passing-specific situations. He can cover both deep threats and physical route-runners.
“That is not to mention the looming possibility of the backup behind Watkins suddenly becoming the starter. An injury kept Watkins out in 2016. Presuming health following a missed season is an optimistic, though possible, tactic.”
2018 OUTLOOK
It is hard to envision Notre Dame pulling Love from many competitive moments. Thus, it is hard to expect Vaughn’s role to grow significantly this season unless he becomes a factor elsewhere. There are not many other opportunities available, though. Seniors Nick Coleman and Crawford provide the options needed at nickelback, while junior Troy Pride appears to have emerged as a reliable field cornerback, hence the outbound transfer of Watkins.
Nonetheless, dime packages exist and with reason in the current iteration of college football. A fourth cornerback will be needed, and that is where Vaughn will see most of his meaningful work.
DOWN THE ROAD
Love very well may head to the NFL after this season. At the least, he will have a decision to make. If he takes that leap, Vaughn will be in excellent position to start as a senior with only current freshmen breathing down his neck on the depth chart.
However, if Love returns, then Vaughn could become the rare freshman starter to spend the next three seasons in a backup role. More than a commentary on Vaughn’s career, that will reflect the stellar development of Love and the promising possibility of Pride.
NOTRE DAME 99-to-2:
No. 99 Jerry Tillery, defensive tackle, senior
No. 98 Ja’Mion Franklin, defensive tackle, incoming freshman
No. 97 Micah Dew-Treadway, defensive tackle, senior
No. 95 Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa, defensive tackle, sophomore
No. 94 Darnell Ewell, defensive tackle, sophomore
No. 91 Ade Ogundeji, defensive end, junior
No. 89 Brock Wright, tight end, sophomore
No. 88 Javon McKinley, receiver, junior
No. 87 Michael Young, receiver, sophomore
No. 86 Alizé Mack, tight end, senior
No. 85 George Takacs, tight end, early-enrolled freshman
No. 85 Tyler Newsome, punter and captain, fifth-year senior
No. 84 Cole Kmet, tight end, sophomore
No. 83 Chase Claypool, receiver, junior
No. 82 Nic Weishar, tight end, fifth-year senior
No. 81 Miles Boykin, receiver, senior
No. 80 Micah Jones, receiver, early-enrolled freshman
No. 78 Tommy Kraemer, right guard, junior
No. 76 Dillan Gibbons, offensive lineman, sophomore
No. 75 Josh Lugg, offensive lineman, sophomore
No. 74 Liam Eichenberg, starting left tackle, junior
No. 72 Robert Hainsey, right tackle, sophomore
No. 71 Alex Bars, left guard and captain, fifth-year senior
No. 70 Luke Jones, offensive lineman, incoming freshman
No. 69 Aaron Banks, offensive tackle, sophomore
No. 68 Jarrett Patterson, offensive tackle, incoming freshman
No. 60 Cole Mabry, offensive tackle, incoming freshman
No. 57 Trevor Ruhland, offensive lineman, senior
No. 57 (theoretically) Jayson Ademilola, defensive tackle, incoming freshman
No. 56 John Dirksen, offensive lineman, incoming freshman
No. 55 Jonathan Bonner, defensive tackle, fifth-year senior
No. 54 John Shannon, long snapper, junior
No. 53 Khalid Kareem, defensive end, junior
No. 53 Sam Mustipher, center and captain, fifth-year senior
No. 52 Bo Bauer, linebacker, early-enrolled freshman
No. 47 Kofi Wardlow, defensive end, sophomore
No. 45 Jonathan Jones, linebacker, junior
No. 44 Jamir Jones, defensive end, junior
No. 42 Julian Okwara, defensive end, junior
No. 41 Kurt Hinish, defensive tackle, sophomore
No. 40 Drew White, linebacker, sophomore
No. 39 Jonathan Doerer, kickoff specialist, sophomore
No. 34 Jahmir Smith, running back, early-enrolled freshman
No. 33 Shayne Simon, linebacker, incoming freshman
No. 31 Jack Lamb, linebacker, early-enrolled freshman
No. 30 Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, linebacker, sophomore
No. 29 Ovie Oghoufo, linebacker, early-enrolled freshman
No. 28 Nicco Fertitta, safety, senior
No. 27 Julian Love, cornerback, junior, second-team All-American
No. 25 Braden Lenzy, receiver, incoming freshman
No. 24 Tommy Tremble, tight end, incoming freshman
No. 24 Nick Coleman, defensive back, senior
No. 23 Drue Tranquill, linebacker, two-time captain, fifth-year senior
No. 22 Asmar Bilal, rover, senior
No. 21 Jalen Elliott, safety, junior
No. 20 Shaun Crawford, nickelback, senior
No. 20 C’Bo Flemister, running back, incoming freshman
No. 19 Justin Yoon, placekicker, senior
No. 19 Justin Ademilola, defensive end, incoming freshman
No. 18 Joe Wilkins, cornerback, incoming freshman
No. 17 Isaiah Robertson, safety-turned-rover, sophomore
No. 16 Noah Boykin, cornerback, incoming freshman
No. 15 D.J. Morgan, safety-turned-linebacker, junior
No. 15 Phil Jurkovec, quarterback, consensus four-star incoming freshman
No. 14 Devin Studstill, safety, junior
No. 13 Lawrence Keys, receiver, incoming freshman
No. 13 Paul Moala, local safety, incoming freshman
No. 12 DJ Brown, cornerback, incoming freshman
No. 12 Ian Book, quarterback, junior
No. 11 Alohi Gilman, safety, Navy transfer
No. 10 Tariq Bracy, cornerback, incoming freshman
No. 10 Chris Finke, receiver, senior, former walk-on
No. 9 Daelin Hayes, defensive end, junior
No. 8 Jafar Armstrong, running back/receiver, sophomore
MEDICAL EXEMPTION
No. 35 David Adams, linebacker, sophomore
OUTGOING TRANSFER
No. 11 Freddy Canteen, receiver, outgoing transfer
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