Why K-State star Deuce Vaughn will wait until after Sugar Bowl to decide on NFL future
Deuce Vaughn doesn’t know if he will return to Kansas State next year and terrorize Big 12 defenses for one more season.
There is a chance that the junior running back will declare early for the NFL Draft and spend the rest of his football career playing at the professional level.
After piling up 4,751 total yards and scoring 42 touchdowns for the Wildcats over the past three seasons, the two-time consensus All-American will have a difficult decision to make about his future at some point in the coming weeks. He doesn’t know which way he will ultimately lean.
But Vaughn can say one thing with absolute certainty at the moment: He will play against Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. The term “opt out” is simply not in his vocabulary.
“The Sugar Bowl is a game I have wanted to play in since I was a little kid,” Vaughn said. “I have watched it every single year, going back to when Ohio State was playing against Alabama with Ezekiel Elliott. Just going up against Alabama after all the matchups they have had playing Clemson and Ohio State and everyone else, this type of game is something I am going to relish. Playing in the Superdome is going to be big time.”
Vaughn is so amped for the Sugar Bowl that he promised to wait until after the game is over on Dec. 31 to let himself ponder his future.
Will he turn pro? Will he come back to school for one more year? Those are questions for 2023.
“Right now I am only worried about Alabama,” Vaughn said. “I owe it to my teammates to be 100% into this game, so that’s what I am right now.”
Still, Vaughn will need to figure out a plan at some point in the near future.
Most NFL mock drafts project Vaughn as a potential selection in the middle rounds. It might make good business sense for him to turn pro, especially when you consider how short the average shelf life is for running backs at the next level. Then again, maybe Vaughn would rather stay in school and attempt to become the first three-time consensus All-American in K-State history.
His father, who works as an NFL scout for the Dallas Cowboys, will provide valuable advice. The rest of his family will also have a say.
Vaughn will sit down with all of them next month and formulate a plan.
“It is going to be a family decision,” Vaughn said. “Of course, I have a pretty good indicator with my dad being on that side of the business. I can talk to my parents and talk to my sisters and come up with the best plan for myself. It’s definitely something that I am going to think about after this game.”
Vaughn isn’t the only K-State football player who may have to wrestle with a NFL decision.
Junior defensive end Felix Anudike-Uzomah and offensive lineman Cooper Beebe are both pro prospects. Anudike-Uzomah could hear his name called in the first three rounds if he leaves early. Beebe will be desirable at both guard positions.
Anudike-Uzomah did not speak with media on Monday, but K-State football coach Chris Klieman said he was committed to playing in the Sugar Bowl. Both Alabama and K-State aren’t expected to have any opt-outs for this game.
Beebe also plans to wait until after the Sugar Bowl to speak with his family and make a decision.
“We’ve already talked about it a little bit,” Beebe said. “There’s a lot of things that play into it. My brother (Camden) coming here next year plays a factor into that. But it’s definitely going to be a family decision, for sure.”
Klieman will do his best to advise all three of K-State’s junior pro prospects, even if it means losing some of them to the NFL.
Just not until after the Sugar Bowl.
“I’m going to help these guys make the best choices for them and their families,” Klieman said. “Everyone would like to see these guys in K-State purple again next year. We know that. But what’s the best thing for them and their futures? That is the most important thing.”
This story was originally published December 19, 2022 at 2:35 PM with the headline "Why K-State star Deuce Vaughn will wait until after Sugar Bowl to decide on NFL future."