MARTY STEWART | Sunday, Sept. 17, 2017, TRIB-LIVE
The wait is over for Carrington Vaughn.
The 2015 Fox Chapel High School graduate spent his first two years at Arizona as a walk-on. Two weeks ago, he found out he was put on scholarship.
“I was very surprised,” he said. “I was told that Coach (Rich) Rodriguez wanted to see me. I knew I hadn’t done anything wrong. Then, he told me he was putting me on scholarship. My first thoughts were that my parents wouldn’t have such a great financial burden anymore. It was a great relief.”
Vaughn believed he would receive a scholarship at some point. He just didn’t think that it would happen so soon.
“For me, it was just an honor to be part of the team,” he said. “I just kept giving my best and working hard, figuring that when the time came that I deserved a scholarship, I would get it.”
Vaughn, a redshirt sophomore, was 5-foot-11 and 180 poundswhen he played at Fox Chapel. He’s 6-0, 200 and much more suited to play at linebacker.
“I’ve gotten bigger, stronger and faster but, most importantly, I know more about the game mentally,” he said. “I’ve learned how to be a better linebacker.”
Most of his playing time was on special teams last season. He played in 11 games with eight tackles and a sack. This year, he said, along with special teams, he is included in some linebacker packages.
“I really don’t care where I play as long as I play,” Vaugh said. “Arizona took a chance on me, and I want to show the coaches that they made the right choice.”
He’s a long way from home, but he still follows the fortunes of the Fox Chapel football team.
“My dad and my old high school friends keep me up to date. They finished strong last year and I hope they keep it up.”