text: BY ANDREW IVINS Rodney Saulsberry never thought that Donté Vaughn would play for a school that wasn't in the SEC. Af- ter all, Memphis (Tenn.) Whitehaven High was a school that had sent five players to that conference in five years. When Notre Dame defensive coor- dinator Brian VanGorder and defen- sive backs coach Todd Lyght walked into Saulsberry's office in early May, the coach wasn't sure what to say. VanGorder and Lyght where there to see Vaughn, a 6-3, 215-pound cor- nerback that held offers from Tennes- see, Ole Miss, LSU, Auburn, Missis- sippi State, Missouri and Vanderbilt, but it wasn't clear at the time if there was interest from the four-star pros- pect in a school like Notre Dame. Turns out, there was. Vaughn, who is ranked by Rivals as the No. 7 prospect in the Volun- teer State and the No. 18 safety in the country, committed to the Irish Oct. 11. He said he chose Notre Dame Irish Pull Cornerback Out Of SEC Country COMMITMENT PROFILE DONTÉ VAUGHN Vaughn, a four-star prospect at Memphis (Tenn.) Whitehaven, selected Notre Dame over offers from Tennessee, Ole Miss, LSU, Auburn, Mississippi State, Missouri and Vanderbilt. PHOTO BY ANDREW IVINS