06-17-2010, 12:09 PM
Vaughters was ranked the #6 HS linebacker in the country. The 6\'2", 232 lb-er had 26 written offers. Definitely one of the best offer lists of any player that ever committed to us. He turned down: Ohio St., (Nat. Champ) Alabama, Florida, Oklahoma, USC, Miami, Ga. Tech, Georgia, Ole Miss, North Carolina, UCLA, Tennessee...
In case you\'re getting light-headed, here\'s an antidote: another one of our most heralded recruits was also a linebacker: Michael Craven.
But don\'t let that bring us down. Look at that offer list again. Something was going on to help him sift through all that glitz, hype and pressure. Vaughters comes from a special family that valued academics despite his HS stardom. Reportedly they were big on Stanford and kept him focused even if it meant their kid would be going to college clear across the country.
Now, he\'s got to finish strong academically and not have his head turned by other coaches...who will NOT lay off despite today\'s news. We lost a couple of strong players before LOI day this year (Zumwalt, Bourbon) and it can/will happen again.
One question: we have another MLB-- Anthony Sarao-- whose recruiting profile has blown up after his commit to Stanford. Vaughters is also an MLB (although in a 3-4 that\'s not as critical). It will be interesting if we can get Sarao to stick or if he gets happy feet after the Vaughters commit. Both on the field at the same time would be nice. :)
In case you\'re getting light-headed, here\'s an antidote: another one of our most heralded recruits was also a linebacker: Michael Craven.
But don\'t let that bring us down. Look at that offer list again. Something was going on to help him sift through all that glitz, hype and pressure. Vaughters comes from a special family that valued academics despite his HS stardom. Reportedly they were big on Stanford and kept him focused even if it meant their kid would be going to college clear across the country.
Now, he\'s got to finish strong academically and not have his head turned by other coaches...who will NOT lay off despite today\'s news. We lost a couple of strong players before LOI day this year (Zumwalt, Bourbon) and it can/will happen again.
One question: we have another MLB-- Anthony Sarao-- whose recruiting profile has blown up after his commit to Stanford. Vaughters is also an MLB (although in a 3-4 that\'s not as critical). It will be interesting if we can get Sarao to stick or if he gets happy feet after the Vaughters commit. Both on the field at the same time would be nice. :)