Yahoo Sports Four USF Bulls with Miami ties ahead of this week’s matchup with the Hurricanes
DeMarcus Van Dyke Jr. – son of the ex-Miami Hurricanes standout of the same name – is a 6-foot-1 cornerback … and he’s just 13 years old.
On his Twitter/X page, Van Dyke Jr. said he has an offer from Miami for the Class of 2029, and he adds that he’s a “future five-star” prospect.
But what if Van Dyke Jr. outgrows the position that took his father to the NFL?
“He can grow to be 6-5,” Van Dyke Sr. said with a laugh, “and he will still play cornerback.”
Van Dyke Jr.’s college football debut is several years away. But his father is in the college theatre right now as one of four University of South Florida Bulls who have Miami ties. Van Dyke, who is in his first year as a USF cornerback coach, will help lead the Bulls (2-1) when they play host to the eighth-ranked Hurricanes (3-0) on Saturday in Tampa.
The Bulls also have another former Hurricanes star on its coaching staff – Kevin Patrick, who works with USF’s defensive linemen.
As a player, Patrick led the Hurricanes to a pair of national titles. A defensive end in his playing days, Patrick was a first-team All-American and the Big East Defensive Player of the Year, and he’s in the Miami Sports Hall of Fame.
As a coach, this is his third stint and his 10th year with USF.
The two Bulls players with Miami ties are running back Nay’Quan Wright and outside linebacker Jason Vaughn.
Wright, a 5-9, 205-pound running back, led Miami Carol City High to the 2016 Class 6A state title, gaining 109 yards in the final. He is now a sixth-year collegian after playing his first four seasons with the Florida Gators.
“I’ve known him since he was a little kid playing for the Miami Gardens Chiefs,” Van Dyke Sr. said. “He was a running back even then, killing everybody.”
Wright led USF running backs last year in rushing yards (797) and touchdowns (eight). He averaged 4.4 yards per rush.
This year, Wright has rushed for 188 yards, two TDs and a 5.7 average.
Wright, who earned his Master’s degree in Physical Education this past spring at USF, was asked about playing his hometown team on Saturday.
“It’s only a big game because USF is playing them,” Wright said of Miami. “The press and my loved ones will blow it up like it’s a big game. But it (is) just the next game on our schedule.”
Wright was inconsistent last year. He rushed for a career-high 186 yards against Connecticut, but he was also held to no yards in seven carries versus Charlotte. UAB held him to 11 yards on five carries.
“My decision making – which read to make and things like that – wasn’t very good in those games,” Wright said. “But if I take the coaching and stick to my fundamentals, I can reach 1,000 yards or well above 1,000 yards.”
Like Wright, Vaughn has earned a Master’s degree (Entrepreneurship and Technology).
A 6-5, 245-pounder, Vaughn is a Miami native who is in sixth year at USF. He had five sacks and 8½ tackles for losses in 2022, but he missed last year due to a right-knee injury.
He’s on national watch lists for Comeback Player of the Year with 1½ tackles for losses in three games.
Vaughn has been a defensive end or outside linebacker since he first started playing football for the Palmetto Bay Broncos at Coral Reef Park at age seven.
“They threw me a pass, and I didn’t catch it,” Vaughn said with a laugh. “So, they put me on defense.”
That’s where he’s been ever since, but he was forced to take a step back after injuring that right knee on the first play of the first fall scrimmage of 2023.
“It was dark for a little while,” Vaughn said of his emotions. “I had never been injured before, and this was pretty painful.”
Incredibly, Vaughn played hurt the first four games last season – posting two sacks – before succumbing to surgery. He then missed the spring of 2024 before returning to duty this fall.
“He plays at a high rate of speed,” said Patrick, who knows what it looks like to dominate on defense. “He has played a lot of ball, and he has developed into a great leader.”
At age 24, Vaughn is the third-oldest player on the Bulls roster, and he’s excited for the chance to play the Hurricanes.
“If you are from Miami, you feel a certain pride,” Vaughn said. “(Wright) and I know what’s expected from us because of where we’re from. We have to put up for our city.”
