Daniel Green, the junior linebacker from Portland, Oregon, played in all 10 games for Kansas State in 2020, starting against Iowa State and Baylor. He set new career-highs this past season with 39 tackles, 5.5 tackles for a loss and 2.5 sacks.
Green also set multiple career highs in the Baylor contest with 13 tackles, 2.5 tackles for a loss and 1.5 sacks for the game. Those 13 tackles were the most by a K-State defender since 2017.
He had seven tackles in the game against West Virginia, including one for a loss.
In 2019, Green played in all 13 games as a reserve linebacker and special teams player, tallying 34 tackles, 3.5 tackles for a loss and two sacks. He also added three pass breakups, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
Green’s breakout game was against Mississippi in 2019, where he tallied seven tackles and a fumble recovery.
As a prospect, Green was named to the Top-250 players in the nation by Rivals. Rivals also named him as the 10th-best inside linebacker in the country and third-best player in Oregon.
He earned second-team all-state honors from The Oregonian and was a two-time first-team all-conference recipient.
Green picked the Wildcats over offers from Arizona, California, Eastern Washington, Idaho, Kansas, Ole Miss, Oregon, Oregon State, USC, Utah and Utah State.
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Deuce Vaughn, the sophomore running back from Round Rock, Texas, saw action in all 10 games in 2020 as a true freshman for the Wildcats. He rushed for 642 yards and seven touchdowns on 123 carries and tallied 434 receiving yards on 25 catches for two touchdowns.
Vaughn led the team in rushing yards, receiving yards and all-purpose yards a year ago and was named True Freshman of the Year by 247Sports.
He also made the Freshman All-American team by The Athletic and Football Writers Association of America and was an honorable mention All-American by Phil Steele and Pro Football Focus.
Vaughn was named the Big 12 Freshman of the Year by the Big 12 coaches and was a Second-Team All-Big 12 performer by the league’s coaches and Associated Press. He was the first true freshman in Big 12 history to earn first or second-team all-conference as a Wildcat.
Vaughn set a K-State freshman record for yards from scrimmage with 1,076 and all-purpose yards with 1,221. He finished second among Wildcat freshmen in rushing touchdowns and third in receiving yards. He ranked fourth in school history in points by a freshman and is the only non-kicker on the list.
He was one of three players in the nation to have over 600 yards rushing and 400 yards receiving this past year, joining Travis Etienne and Najee Harris. He was also the only Big 12 player to lead his team in rushing and receiving yards.
His 221 all-purpose yards against Texas was the most in K-State history for a true freshman since Tyler Lockett had 311 against Oklahoma State in 2011.
As a prospect, Vaughn was ranked the 17th-best all-purpose running back by 247Sports. He was the 2018 and 2019 District 13-6A Offensive MVP.
Vaughn also earned honorable mention all-state honors by the Texas Sports Writers Association as a junior.
In his high school career, Vaughn totaled 5,472 all-purpose yards with 50 touchdowns. Of those 5,472 yards, 4,405 were rushing with 38 touchdowns. He set a Cedar Ridge record for single-season rushing yards with 1,940 yards.
He chose the Wildcats over offers from Air Force, Arkansas, Army, Missouri and South Florida.
