RB recruit Ke'Shawn Vaughn eager to learn more about Notre Dame

Ke’Shawn Vaughn might need to keep his luggage handy. The four-star running back will be visiting college campuses each weekend for the rest of January.

His travels start this weekend in South Bend. The senior at Nashville (Tenn.) Pearl-Cohn will head north to find out more about the football program he received an offer from in December.

“I'm just trying to see what the atmosphere is like up there and get more information about the school,” Vaughn said.

His knowledge of Notre Dame remains fairly rudimentary. He has been in regular contact with Irish running backs coach Tony Alford for more than a month but has yet to meet him because of the recent NCAA dead period.

One message that has been made clear is the similar schemes used by Notre Dame’s offense and the one Vaughn played in at Pearl-Cohn.

“Notre Dame runs the same offense as my high school,” Vaughn said. “It would be an easy transition for me. Coach Alford said they have two running backs on the roster and they're looking for two more.”

The Irish remain in search of a second running back for the 2015 recruiting class to pair with Josh Adams, who verbally committed in June. Following Vaughn’s senior season of 2,664 yards and 41 touchdowns, the 5-foot-10, 210-pound back has emerged as a legitimate option for Notre Dame.

“He's small, but he's very powerful,” said CBS Sports Network recruiting analyst Tom Lemming. “He's a back that could become a star in college. He's perfect for Notre Dame's style of offense."

The Irish will have plenty of company in the chase for Vaughn. Purdue set a standard with his first official visit back in October. An official visit to Louisville also made Vaughn’s schedule in November. But the visiting spree which starts this weekend at Notre Dame will play a crucial role in his final decision. West Virginia (Jan. 23) and Illinois (Jan. 30) will get his final official visits.

All those contenders could be wiped away by Ohio State, according to 247Sports director of recruiting Steve Wiltfong. The Buckeyes appear set at running back with four-star recruit Mike Weber, but his commitment could become uncertain with a push from Michigan and new head coach Jim Harbaugh. Weber had previously been committed to the Wolverines.

Any movement there could force Ohio State to look elsewhere. If it turned out to be in Vaughn’s direction, the Buckeyes could grab his commitment.

“If Ohio State has to come in on Ke'Shawn late, it may not matter what the other schools do,” Wiltfong said. “I think Ke'Shawn's always wanted to go to Ohio State.”

But until the Buckeyes become a legitimate option, Vaughn’s attention will be on other schools. Notre Dame will get its chance to impress this weekend.

Below are highlights of Vaughn's senior season, via Hudl.

tjames@ndinsider.com | 574-235-6214 | Twitter: @TJamesNDI