San Antonio Express-News (Sunday)
Star RBs share field one more time
Close friends Robinson and Vaughn have taken wildly different paths to success
MANHATTAN, Kan. — Together again at a youth football camp in Los Angeles this past summer, Bijan Robinson and Deuce Vaughn got to reminiscing with one another.
They’d both entered college in 2020 after drastically different recruiting experiences.
Every program in the nation wanted Robinson, the nation’s top-ranked running back. But Power Five coaches were warier of Vaughn, a 5-foot-6 dynamo from Cedar Ridge and the son of former Texas assistant Chris Vaughn. Aside from Kansas State, Vaughn’s other FBS offers came from Arkansas, Missouri, Air Force, Army and South Florida.
Well, the scouts were spot-on about Robinson. But Vaughn, the wee three-star recruit, went right to demolishing any narrow-minded notion that he couldn’t thrive at this level.
The pair began texting back and forth as freshmen, and as that first season wore on it became increasingly apparent that both halfbacks were going to leave indelible marks on their programs. And on Saturday, Robinson and Vaughn tried one-upping each other on the same field for the last time as college stars.
“He’s a really cool dude,” Vaughn told K-Stateonline.com about Robinson. “The first thing we talked about when we first got there (to the football camp) was our journeys to this path to where we’re at right now and how it’s almost two completely different ones.”
Vaughn put all those concerns over his size to rest early. The 2020 Big 12 Freshman of the Year has been one of the best halfbacks in the nation since arriving in Manhattan, further evidenced by his winning Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year and becoming a consensus AllAmerican as a sophomore last season.
Robinson has been just as sensational. He’s rushed for 2,760 yards and 26 touchdowns in 27 career games. And like Vaughn, the 6-foot Robinson is a receiving threat — he’s amassed 58 receptions for 771 yards and eight scores, while his Kansas State counterpart has 97 catches for 1,032 yards and seven scores in 31 career outings.
Both running backs were at the forefront of their team’s game plans when No. 13 Kansas State (6-2, 4-1 Big 12) and No. 24 Texas (5-3, 3-2) faced off Saturday night at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
“I love his game,” Robinson said of Vaughn. “He’s a really good friend of mine. And just see him go out there and do what he does — he makes people miss. He’s hard to tackle, to get down, he just runs so low to the ground. I just like to watch him play. He can catch out of the backfield, and I think me and him share similar attributes when it comes to that.”
Robinson added that he “loves playing against” Vaughn. And while Vaughn is 0-2 against the Longhorns, he’s certainly has enjoyed carving up their defense.
In two career games against Texas, Vaughn has tallied 268 rushing yards, 52 receiving yards and three touchdowns. Robinson sat out last year’s game because of an injury, but as a freshman he went for 172 yards and three touchdowns and added 51 receiving yards in a 69-31 win over the Wildcats.
And after spending time as both competitors and camp counselors, Vaughn has grown to admire the way Robinson “conducts himself, the way he carries himself and the way he says he wants to be ‘a blessing,’ the way he wants to be an inspiration to people and kids that want to be like him.”
Vaughn added: “I have the utmost respect for him. And I feel like our friendship has grown over these past couple years of competing against each other and then getting to see each other outside of the helmet and kind of building that relationship.”
Robinson hasn’t confirmed whether he’ll enter the 2023 NFL draft, but as a junior with a first-round grade who plays a position with a short shelf life, he’s expected to declare after this season ends. Vaughn could follow, though just like back in high school, pro scouts aren’t convinced the 176-pound scatback will thrive at the next level.
But for at least one more autumn Saturday, Robinson and Vaughn were happy to share the field and put on a show.