One of the more intriguing position battles at Kansas State during fall camp is for the reps behind Deuce Vaughn in the backfield. The newest wrinkle was Devrin Weathers leaving the program.
Assistant Brian Anderson provided zero hints as to who the leader in the clubhouse is for those snaps, but the two he discussed when asked about the role were DJ Giddens and Anthony Frias.
Giddens has become more comfortable with the offense and is in great shape.
Frias is newer to what they are doing since he just arrived not long ago. He's a bigger back that Anderson envisions being a good football player for the Wildcats once he settles in.
They're also receiving a heavy dose of information throughout fall camp. They are not keeping it simple for the pair just yet.
K-State is having them learn the same route concepts as a receiver out of the backfield in order for them to keep everything in the playbook the same regardless of who is on the field.
It makes them less prone to tendencies for the defense to observe and pick up on during games.
What makes Deuce Vaughn so special is how he conducts himself off the field. That's not just because he is a great person and teammate and active in the community. All that is true, but we're speaking more to his preparation.
He still finds ways to surprise his coaches.
His preparation is comparable to professional athletes. The way he works, takes care of body and does everything with a purpose is what happens with individuals when they make it to the NFL.
Vaughn does it at the college level, and that is a rare sight.
Trumain Carroll was raved about by Anderson, and he used Vaughn's offseason as an example of that. He's added even more better weight and is running faster in fall camp. The whole team is faster, according to Anderson.
But the way Vaughn embraces the process and works at every little detail of his craft every single day is such a good example for his teammates to follow. They see it and they want to mimic it, making them a better team.
Vaughn is able to be durable and healthy and readily available. That is why he can run between the tackles or on the edge. That's why he is just as effective in the open field and as a pass-catcher.
Kansas State wants to get him the ball in space and let him make plays, but Vaughn can also be deployed as a decoy. Anderson shared an example of Deuce running a wheel route in practice and he took the defensive end and cornerback both with him.
That opens up so much more of the field and options for Adrian Martinez at quarterback because there's two defenders completely taken out of the play just because of the threat that Vaughn poses.
He's a different kind of back than Anderson has ever coached because there's not a single thing he can't do. He's the complete package. His football intelligence is so high and he can see things happen before they do because of how much he studies.
Everything he does is for a purpose. He's intentional, and Anderson has never coached anyone like him before.
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We might as well not stop talking about the potential Heisman Trophy contender. Vaughn spent countless hours meeting with Anderson one-on-one over the Summer breaking down film or calling him asking for more information to devour.
Anderson has been tasked by Collin Klein throughout the offseason and fall camp to work through a bunch of ways to have his star back take the ball in different spots to be even more dangerous.
Klein wants his running back coach to keep researching other teams, both in the college and NFL, to discover other options of how to deploy Vaughn, and utilize his unique skill-set and playmaking ability.