Reports: Texas assistant involved in Ole Miss investigation
Texas defensive backs coach Chris Vaughn will not return to Charlie Strong’s staff for the 2016 season.
Orangebloods.com was the first to report the departure of Vaughn, who has been on Strong’s staff since he arrived at Texas in January 2014.
“Chris did a tremendous job for us,” Strong said in a statement. “He’s a terrific football coach and a great person. However, circumstances have put us in a position that we are going to part ways.”
Vaughn has been highly regarded as a recruiter at Texas, but, as Strong alluded to in his statement, alleged transgressions at a previous institution are reportedly the root of his parting from the Longhorns.
According to the Austin American-Statesman and Horns247, Vaughn’s name has come up in the NCAA investigation into Ole Miss, where he previously served as defensive backs coach and recruiting coordinator from 2008 to 2011.
It’s believed NCAA investigators have “a thick file” on Vaughn from his time as an Ole Miss assistant from 2008 to 2011, a UT source told the American-Statesman. The source said Texas officials have no reason to believe Vaughn did anything improper with the Longhorns.
Texas officials had no public comment on the website reports late Thursday. Neither Vaughn nor coach Charlie Strong could be reached for comment.
Yahoo Sports’ Pat Forde was the first to report late last month that the NCAA had formally charged Ole Miss with rules violations. A report from the Associated Press said that the school was hit with 28 violations, 13 of which came from the football program. And of those 13 football-related violations, nine relate to Ole Miss’ current staff under Hugh Freeze.
Vaughn’s tenure at Ole Miss was on the staff of Houston Nutt, who was fired after the 2011 season. A day after the news broke that the school had received its Notice of Allegations, Ross Bjork, Ole Miss’ athletic director, said “many” of the football allegations came from the Nutt era.
Bjork also spoke to the Clarion-Ledger on Wednesday and said the NCAA investigation into the school has ended. Ole Miss has 90 days to respond to the NCAA’s Notice of Allegations.
Vaughn and Texas “are expected to reach a settlement,” per Horns247.
For more Texas news, visit Orangebloods.com.
– – – – – – –
Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
