When Rich Rodriguez made the move from Jacksonville State to West Virginia he was able to bring several players with him to Morgantown.
One of those is redshirt sophomore wide receiver Cam Vaughn.
Vaughn, 6-foot-2, 190-pounds, led the Gamecocks in receiving during his first full year on the field reeling in 48 catches for 803 yards and 5 touchdowns. And once he entered the transfer portal had a number of options prior to deciding to transfer to West Virginia.
Not only did the Mountaineers add an experienced wide receiver to the roster, but one that more importantly has already shown the ability to play at a high level in the offensive scheme.
“Cam knows the offense, first of all. And then obviously he’s a dynamic athlete if you’ve ever watched any of his film at Jacksonville State,” wide receivers coach Ryan Garrett said.
Vaughn was initially recruited as a quarterback when he signed with the Gamecocks, but Garrett realized all along that he would make for a good wide receiver option given his size and athleticism.
While he had never played the position prior to arriving at the college level, he quickly demonstrated that Garrett was right to have that hunch about his potential as a pass catcher instead of throwing the football.
“He was at wide out and played some early, but he played last year a whole bunch,” Rodriguez said. “He’s one of the best athletes on the team and he’s still got room to grow.”
Vaughn proved himself quickly to be a competitive player which fits in with what Rodriguez and company want across the board, but he still is developing his body. That means adding more strength and bulk to his frame which is going to allow him to take an even bigger step with his progression.
That certainly excites Garrett.
“I believe that he still has a ton of development ahead of him. I think his ceiling is super, super high,” he said.
That makes it critical that Vaughn continues to challenge himself, while Garrett and the rest of the coaches attempt to push him as far as he can go.
As long as that progression continues on the right path, there is a clear pathway for Vaughn to make an impact in Morgantown given the lack of true outside options.
But the coaching staff also wants him to be able to move inside as well to showcase versatility.
The addition of Vaughn is one that certainly has the coaching staff excited and they’re glad he elected to make the move with them.
“If you watch Cam's film, you see why we brought him here. He's a great athlete. He's explosive. He's got phenomenal ball skills. And I think his best football is still ahead of him,” Garrett said.
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