Tyler

Vaughns

Vaughns (6'2/190) was part of an extremely talented group of wide receivers, and he came through with some big moments during the course of his final season at USC. In six games the senior from Pasadena caught 33 passes for 406 yards and three touchdowns, averaging 12.3 yards per reception. The 2019 campaign was Vaughns’ best, as he posted a 74-912-6 receiving stat line. This year’s wide receiver crop is extremely deep, and Vaughns has a shot at coming off the board during Day 2 of the draft.

Vaughns did not grab the game-winning TD, but WR Amon-Ra St. Brown’s game-winner was possible thanks to Vaughns. Vaughns (6'2/190) worked himself somewhat open down the right sideline on the first play of USC’s final drive, allowing QB Kedon Slovis to rip it down the field to him. The throw was a smidgen underthrown, but Vaughns did a miraculous job tracking the ball in the air and making a catch in double coverage. That catch alone validated Vaughns’ performance, never mind the rest of his team-best production.

Of USC’s three elite receivers, it was the stable senior who brought in the lone touchdown on the day. Vaughns (6'2/190), a good blend between a possession receiver and a YAC threat, brought in a second-quarter touchdown pass to give USC a lead at the time. TE Erik Krommenhoek also grabbed a touchdown, but none of the Trojans’ other wide receivers did.

Vaughns (6'2/190) was one of two USC wide receivers to be targeted nine times on the day, with leading wideout Amon-Ra St. Brown (7-112-0) being the other. Those two are part of a deep and talented wide receiving corps, with underclassmen Drake London (4-68-0, six targets) and Bru McCoy (3-25-0, five targets) also in the mix. Like St. Brown, Vaughns has also caught seven passes in each of USC’s first two games (123 yards). He’ll look to improve upon those numbers next Saturday when USC visits Utah.

While the Trojans will be without Michael Pittman in the fall, Vaughns’ return is clutch one for OC Graham Harrell and company. The 6-foot-2, 190-pounder will join with Amon-Ra St. Brown to form one of the most formidable receiving duos in the Pac-12 next season. This past year, Vaughns logged a 74-912-6 receiving line in 12 games.

Vaughns (6'2/190) entered action on Saturday dealing with a balky ankle -- he was deemed to be at 75% health midway through the practice week -- but looked no worse for the wear against the Bruins. His touchdown was a crucial one in this shootout, as the junior scored from 49 yards out just seconds into the fourth quarter after UCLA had closed to within 38-28 on the scoreboard by the end of the third. Vaughns finishes out his regular-season campaign having caught 68 passes for 858 yards and six touchdowns in 11 games played. He’ll have a draft decision to make later this winter.

Vaughns (6'2/190) was said to be “75 percent) by HC Clay Helton following Wednesday’s practice, and he’s apparently healthy enough to at least give it a go Saturday afternoon. Whether or not the junior wide receiver is healthy enough to have an impact on the game remains to be seen. Vaughns has caught 62 passes for 752 yards and five touchdowns this season.

Clay Helton told reporters that Vaughns “didn’t look like himself all the way” at practice, but still looked good. Ok, then. Vaughns is one of the top targets in the passing game, and he’d certainly help against a pretty good California secondary on Saturday, if he can go.

In a USC offense that featured 57 passes, it was Vaughns (6'2/185) who came away with the most yardage. Sadly, the most of any single player was just 75 yards and Vaughns got there in under a 10 yards per catch clip. That being said, Vaughns now has at least seven receptions in the past three games. USC will take on Arizona State a week from now.

Vaughns (6'2/185) posted his most yards since going for 106 and a score on Sept. 7 against Stanford in the second game of the season. He has posted four or more receptions in each of his eight outings this season, which is quite impressive considering he has had to adjust to throws from JT Daniels, Kedon Slovis and Matt Fink at different points this season. He’ll look to keep up his high volume next Saturday against Oregon.