MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State true freshman Deuce Vaughn picked up yet another postseason accolade as he was named the all-purpose player on the 2020 Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) Freshman All-America Team, the organization announced Monday.
Vaughn is the eighth Wildcat to be named to the team since the FWAA began naming Freshman All-Americans in 2001. It is the second-straight season a Wildcat has been named a Freshman All-American by the FWAA and the fifth in the last 10 years.
A product of Round Rock, Texas, Vaughn rushed for 642 yards and seven touchdowns in 10 games, while he caught 25 passes for 434 yards and another two scores. Vaughn also added kickoff-return duties to his repertoire late in the year, returning seven kickoffs for 145 yards (20.7-yard average). He was one of only three players in the nation during the 2020 season to tally at least 600 rushing yards and 400 receiving yards on the year, joining fellow running backs Travis Etienne (Clemson) and Najee Harris (Alabama).
Vaughn set the K-State freshman records for rushing yards, yards from scrimmage (1,076) and all-purpose yards (1,221). He also finished second in rushing touchdowns and third in receiving yards among freshmen, while he ranked fourth in school history in points scored by a freshman (54) and is the only non-kicker on the list.
The honor by the FWAA added to Vaughn’s accolades in 2020 as he was named the True Freshman of the Year by 247Sports, a Freshman All-American by The Athletic and an Honorable Mention All-American by Phil Stele. Vaughn was also named the Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year by the league’s coaches and was a Second Team All-Big 12 performer by both the coaches and the Associated Press. He was the first Wildcat true freshman in the Big 12 era (since 1996) to earn First or Second Team All-Big 12 honors on offense.
Kansas State opens the 2021 season on September 4 by taking on Stanford in the Allstate Kickoff Classic at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.