My first impression of Jackson Vaughn was last summer when he competed at Irish Invasion. It was one of the more impressive introductions to a prospect that I’ve seen at any camp I’ve attended. Vaughn looked fantastic in individual drills and dominated one on ones.
It was obvious he was advanced as a football player, so it was not surprising when he ultimately decided to reclassify to the 2027 class. An exceptional athlete who had 16 sacks over his last two seasons, it’s another elite addition on the defensive line for Notre dame.
Height: 6’3”
Weight: 225
Projected Position: Edge
ISD Grade: 95 (4-star)
National Average Grade: 91.3 (4-star)
What he does best:
Vaughn has elite first step quickness. He puts immediate pressure on offensive tackles because of it and can win with speed.
He can be moved around to different alignments in pass rush situations to find mismatches. Here he is rushing against the center and winning.
His reactive athleticism is exceptional. His lateral twitch and the flexibility he displays to dip around blocks makes him unique.
He can be varied with his pass rush, which isn’t something that we often see from many defensive lineman in college football. His speed can cause tackles to overset and then he can take advantage inside.
Offenses will have to account for him as a chase player against the run. He’s so quick down the line and if he’s left unblocked he can destroy plays at the mesh point.
What he needs to improve:
He can set the edge pretty well right now because of his quickness and establishing his hands, but he’s going to have to gain weight and get stronger to play at the point of attack in college. That’s going to be essential for him to be a three down player.
Even with that, he’s likely never going to be a beast in terms of size and he’ll have to win with motor and consistent technique when teams run at him.
What’s his ceiling?
Vaughn has the talent to develop into one of the top pass rushers in the country. His measurements (10.75 inch hands, 32 inch arm length were verified in the spring of 2025) suggests he should get bigger, but I envision him playing at a similar weight to other edge rushers like Texas’ Colin Simmons or former Penn State edge Abdul Carter.
His athleticism and natural feel for rushing the passer are so special that he shouldn’t be doing too much to take away from that by getting too big. Vaughn’s skill set reminds me of former Florida State edge Brian Burns. He’s a prospect that I saw in person at The Opening and Army All-American Bowl over a decade ago. I knew Burns could win with twitch and athleticism as a pass rusher and he did that and then some at FSU while he developed into a day one NFL Draft pick.
Vaughn has that same kind of ceiling if he puts it all together. It’s going to be very fun to see how he progresses while working with Notre Dame defensive line coach Charlie Partridge.
Who he could be:
Former Florida State edge Brian Burns
Men's Champion Gray Notre Dame Fighting Irish Reverse Weave Fleece Sweatshirt
