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Illinois Football: Top 10 highest rated Illini recruits since 2010

By Rees Woodcock

26 December 2014: Illinois Fighting Illini tight end Jon Davis (3) catches the football over Louisiana Tech Bulldogs defensive back Adairius Barnes (21) during the game between the Illinois Fighting Illini and the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs at the Zaxby's Heart of Dallas Bowl in the Cotton Bowl Stadium in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Matthew Pearce/Icon Sportswire/Corbis via Getty Images)
26 December 2014: Illinois Fighting Illini tight end Jon Davis (3) catches the football over Louisiana Tech Bulldogs defensive back Adairius Barnes (21) during the game between the Illinois Fighting Illini and the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs at the Zaxby's Heart of Dallas Bowl in the Cotton Bowl Stadium in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Matthew Pearce/Icon Sportswire/Corbis via Getty Images) /
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CHAMPAIGN, IL – OCTOBER 29: Illinois running back Ke’Shawn Vaughn (5) scores on a seven-yard run during a Big Ten Conference football game between the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers and the University of Illinois Fighting Illini on October 29, 2016, at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, IL. (Photo by Keith Gillett/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
CHAMPAIGN, IL – OCTOBER 29: Illinois running back Ke’Shawn Vaughn (5) scores on a seven-yard run during a Big Ten Conference football game between the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers and the University of Illinois Fighting Illini on October 29, 2016, at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, IL. (Photo by Keith Gillett/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

7. Ke’Shawn Vaughn – No. 313 – Class of 2015

There weren’t a lot of highly rated recruits Tim Beckman landed during his time in Champaign, but the most impressive get to me was Ke’Shawn Vaughn.

Vaughn was a 5-foot-10.5, 210-pound running back from Pearl Cohn High School in Nashville, Tennessee. He was rated as a four-star recruit who was the No. 313 player in the class of 2015 and the No. 10 player in the state of Tennessee. Going in and plucking a talented back like Vaughn was impressive for this coaching staff.

Illinois ended up snagging Vaughn over teams like Purdue, Vanderbilt, Notre Dame and West Virginia. That is an impressive feat considering where the team was at the time. Illinois needed a burst of energy and this was to come from Vaughn.

But, entering this freshman season, Vaughn had some turmoil. There was a coaching change a week before his freshman season started. Despite that change, he ended up having a great freshman campaign. Vaughn rushed for 723 yards and six touchdowns on 157 carries. He also had 119 yards receiving as well.

Something happened when Lovie Smith was hired, though. Vaughn started the 2016 season as the starter but quickly lost that role and was relegated to the back of the pack. He only finished that season rushing for 301 yards and three touchdowns on 60 carries. After his sophomore season with the Illini, Vaughn decided to pack things up and transfer out. He committed to Vanderbilt and had to sit out last year. He will be a junior this upcoming season with the Commodores.

There are very few issues I have had with Lovie since he became the head coach of the Illini. Whatever happened with Vaughn is one of them. This kid is super talented, and I think he is going to do some special things with Vanderbilt.

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