No Jitters For Justin Vaughn

First season jitters to second-year success. That’s the motto for defensive tackle Justin Vaughn. The former Fordham Ram and 38th overall pick in the 2017 Canadian Football league Draft is excited to see what the 2018 season has in store with his hometown Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
While at Fordham University, Vaughn was in a class of his own on the football field. His easy-going persona and dedication made him a stand out-player in the states. Vaughn’s name appeared on many awards in his 2016 season and he capped off the year with Fordham’s 2016 Defensive Player Of The Year title. In his final year, he racked up 40 total tackles.

On CFL Draft night, Vaughn’s name was expected to be called in the mid rounds. As round after round passed, Vaughn became discouraged.
“I was getting sad and down on myself”, Vaughn said. “Like dang, I’m not going yet. I’m confident in my ability and I feel like I should have gone higher.”
After the live coverage of the CFL Draft closed, Vaughn was left to his thoughts.
“It was just names popping up on the screen and then I get a call from Edmonton. They said they were going to pick me”. Vaughn said.
With Vaughn now thinking he is an Eskimo, he sat down to dive into his dinner- a delicious hamburger. But much to his surprise, Vaughn’s hometown of Hamilton appeared on his screen with his name beside it.
 “Mid-bite I spit my food out and I just lost my mind,” Vaughn said. “I started crying and gave my girlfriend a hug.”
Overcome with emotion the dream of playing for his hometown of Hamilton was about to become a reality. The First Team All-Patriot League and Fordham’s Defensive Player of the Year was packing his bags to go home to Hamilton.
It’s very rare that a true rookie gets to touch the field in their first season, let alone start. But with Vaughn groomed to join the starting defensive line, he defied the odds to seamlessly transition from a late-round pick to game-ready prospect.
Game one of the 2017 season centred around a matchup against the team’s Queen Elizabeth Way rival, the Toronto Argonauts. In the first game of Vaughn’s career in the Black and Gold, he was impressive as his first game concluded with three tackles.

As the season progressed, Vaughn continued to learn the system and the pace of the CFL. While one of the largest reasons for rookie failure is not being able to keep up with the veteran players on the other side of the ball, Vaughn continued to learn and grow. Hard work and resilience guided rookie season as he finished with 18 games played, 12 defensive tackles and two sacks.
As training camp continues toward the Tiger-Cats’ June 1 preseason match-up against the Toronto Argonauts, Vaughn’s ready for his second season in TigerTown.
“I just want my production to go up and not be as nervous going into a game likes I was last season as a rookie,” Vaughn said.
While getting out of his stance, Vaughn noticed “I need to keep my pad level low. When I was coming out of college, there was certain things I could get away with, but up here, everyone’s a pro athlete”
If Vaughn could go back and talk to his rookie self, “run more” would be his advice.
“Coming from the United States, I was running, but when I got to the CFL, everything was different” he said
With every game and every snap Justin Vaughn plays, he’ll continue to grow into a fundamental piece of the Hamilton defence. With Defensive Line Coach Dennis McPhee at the helm, Vaughn’s in position to make a large impression on the CFL and his home city in 2018.