Vaughn SEC Special Teams Player of the Year

Senior placekicker John Vaughn was voted the Southeastern Conference's Special Teams Player of the Year in a vote of the league's coaches, it was announced Wednesday.

Vaughn is the second Auburn player to win the league's Special Teams Player of the Year honor in the last three seasons, joining Carnell Williams in 2004.

Vaughn, a Brentwood, Tenn., native, set a career-high with 19 field goals this season, giving him 49 for his career, which is an Auburn record. His 89 points this season is an Auburn single-season best among kickers and gives him 307 in four seasons, also a Tiger record.

Vaughn became the first Auburn kicker in team history to make 50-plus-yard field goals in consecutive weeks, first booting a 52-yarder against Washington State Sept. 2, then following that with a 55-yarder against Mississippi State Sept. 9.

Vaughn, a finalist for the Groza Award as the nation's top kicker, is tied for seventh nationally with 19 field goals made (in 23 attempts), and his scoring average of 7.4 points per game ranks third in the SEC and tied for 31st nationally. His field goal percentage of .826 would be fourth best in a single season in Auburn history. Vaughn has twice made four field goals in a game this season (Sept. 2 vs. Washington State and Oct. 14 vs. Florida).

Other SEC specialty awards went to Arkansas running back Darren McFadden and Ole Miss linebacker Patrick Willis, who were voted as the Southeastern Conference's top offensive player and top defensive player, respectively. The league's coaches also selected Kentucky offensive lineman Hayden Lane as the league's scholar-athlete of the year and Florida wide receiver Percy Harvin as the top freshman performer. Tennessee offensive tackle Arron Sears was selected as the recipient of the Jacobs Trophy, given to the league's top blocker, and Arkansas' Houston Nutt was voted by his peers as the SEC Coach of the Year.