National Signing Day: LA, CHS standouts on the move
Laurens Academy lineman Garrison Vaughan is surrounded by family as he signs with Newberry College.
Laurens Academy Headmaster and former head football coach Todd Kirk held up the grade school art project by Garrison Vaughan proclaiming his dream to play college football, which he spelled “fotball.”
Vaughan learned to spell it correctly and developed into an all-state lineman on both sides of the ball, paving the way to National Signing Day and an opportunity to turn his childhood dream into reality at Newberry College.
Vaughan will be making the jump from SCISA 8-man football to NCAA Division II at Newberry, which was one of the top D-II teams in the country last year, making it to the NCAA semifinals before losing to defending national champion Ferris State.
“I feel like I’ve really built a good relationship with the (Newberry) coaches,” Vaughan said. “The talent difference is going to be a jump, and we’ve talked about my potential and making a transition from eight-man football.”
Vaughan, who became the first LA player to sign a college football scholarship since lineman Reles Littleton signed with Erskine in 2021, last played 11-man football while attending Clinton Middle School.
Vaughan, who gained over 60 pounds between his junior and senior seasons, said he is confident that he can make the jump to college with head coach Todd Knight’s Wolves and said Knight projects the 300-pounder as an interior offensive lineman.
LA head coach Jolly Doolittle said Vaughan’s hard work has paid off at LA and he believes that will continue at Newberry.
“In 25 years of coaching, he’s the hardest working lineman I’ve ever been around,” said LA head coach Jolly Doolittle. “He’s the best lineman I’ve ever coached. . . . Every game plan that we’ve ever had in three years here started with Garrison – where he was going to be and what we needed to do to maximize his abilities. And every team we’ve played against, their game plans started with where No. 82 was.”
Red Devils’ Boyd, Perrin inked
Clinton DB/WRs Bryson Perrin, left, and Chris Boyd signed with NCAA Division II programs. Perrin will join North Greenville, and Boyd is heading to Carson-Newman.
A pair of Clinton teammates are headed north – one to the South Carolina foothills and the other to the Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee – to play college football.
Defensive back Chris Boyd and wide receiver/defensive back Bryson Perrin signed college scholarship offers on National Signing Day (Feb. 4). Perrin is headed to North Greenville, while Boyd is headed to Carson-Newman in Jefferson City, Tennessee.
Perrin, who intercepted one pass during his senior season, will join his older sister at North Greenville. He said he wants to continue to grow as a football player with the Trailblazers.
“I’m not going to say it’s the only college I was interested in, but it was the one with the most interest,” Perrin said. “The coaches here at Clinton pushed me every day to improve, and that’s a process I want to continue at North Greenville and contribute to the program.”
Like Perrin, Boyd played both wide receiver and defensive back, while also excelling on special teams. He was sidelined temporarily by a broken hand during his senior season.
Boyd also played in the Touchstone Energy Bowl North-South All-Star game. He chose Carson-Newman over offers from Anderson and Presbyterian.
“I really like the coaching staff and the atmosphere around everything,” Boyd said of Carson-Newman. “I like the facilities and everything and the majors they had. I’m going in undecided and will figure out what I want to do.”
Perrin said he is also entering North Greenville with an undecided major.
Red Devil Notes: Former Clinton RB Bryson James announced on social media that he will be transferring from Anderson University to Southern Conference champion Mercer for next season. Earlier, James reported on social media that he was transferring to North Carolina Central, but changed directions. . . . James’ former Clinton and Anderson teammate Hezekiah Kinard has transferred from Anderson to Campbell. The 6-2, 280-pound defensive lineman signed with the Camels in December.
