Temple University Athletics
TE Vaughn Charlton
Vaughn Charlton: Making the Switch
9.10.10 | Football
Gameday Program Feature Story
by Cathy Bongiovi, Athletic Communications
Temple football has lived by the motto “Flip the Switch”-- being able to transition to any situation. Senior Vaughn Charlton personifies that motto.
At the end of spring drills, the highly successful quarterback moved to tight end, a move that head coach Al Golden called “selfless”. This fall, Charlton will use his athletic ability to block and catch for the Owls instead of directing the offense.
“I had already thought that with my athletic ability and my size, I could probably play the position,” Charlton said. “My mentality has been that of a physical-aggressive player.”
In preparing for his new role, the 6-4 product of Landenburg, Pa., had to do something most people dread-- gain weight. Since moving to tight end, Charlton's gained almost 25 pounds.
“Every meal you have to stuff your face,” he said. “I'd make myself peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. At 2 o'clock in the morning when I woke up, I'd eat them.”
Keeping the weight on is a challenge, too.
“For my body type, I can't really hold weight to begin with, but it's definitely an even harder task to keep the weight on and at the same time gain weight,” he added.
Growing up in Landenberg, near the Pennsylvania-Delaware-Maryland border, Charlton began his football career in second grade.
“My dad asked me if I wanted to play,” he said. “I was a center the first year. I think I actually played tight end or wide receiver one year.”
A three-year starter at quarterback at Avon Grove High School, Charlton moved from the country to the big city for college.
“Coming here on my official visit, the biggest things that impressed me were the difference from where I was living,” Charlton recalled. “And I came here for Coach Golden. There was nothing. There was no advertising of the football team, because the year before they were 0-11. I didn't really know about Temple football. The campus was nice, but when I first came in, the computer center wasn't done yet. The SAC was brand new. Avenue North wasn't there; that was just a dirt lot. There was really nothing to sell but Coach Golden's vision. That was what made me commit.”
And Charlton has made the most of his time on North Broad Street. He played in eight games with three starts as a true freshman in 2006. Backing up Adam DiMichele in 2007, Charlton saw action in seven games with four starts. After redshirting the 2008 season, Charlton returned to play in all 13 games last fall with nine starts, including the EagleBank Bowl. For his final season in the Cherry & White, Charlton takes on a new challenge-- switching to the tight end position.
“I think it was great for me. I'm having a great time with it,” Charlton shared. “I lead in different ways than I could before. I can lead more by example than I ever have before.”
Offensive coordinator Matt Rhule agrees.
“He's handled it extremely well. He already had a firm grasp of the offense obviously from playing quarterback, so the transition has been easy,” Rhule said. “He's amongst the hardest workers we've had here. He worked tirelessly over the summer to get caught up on any techniques or things in the run game that he had to learn. The biggest thing about Vaughn is that he's extremely tough. He's really a competitor and that's translated well to the position.”
Named a preseason first-team All-MAC selection at tight end by Phil Steele's College Football before ever playing a game at the position, Charlton knows he still has work to do.
“He's been doing a really good job,” said fellow tight end Matt Balasavage. “He made us step up our games and made us all improve.”
Perhaps Charlton's greatest transition was being a Temple Owl over the last five years.
“I think this five years in Temple University history has been the biggest total turnaround,” he said. “When I first came here as a freshman, it was miserable. We weren't winning. There was no support from the teachers. There was no support from the fans. There was no support from the administration. It was really rough. From the year after that, it just started to build and build and build. This year it's a privilege to walk down the street and have the administration know you. The fans are great and involved this year. Even the City, too. There are posters everywhere. People are wearing Temple football gear. It's been a privilege to be here for five years.”
Temple football has lived by the motto “Flip the Switch”-- being able to transition to any situation. Senior Vaughn Charlton personifies that motto.
At the end of spring drills, the highly successful quarterback moved to tight end, a move that head coach Al Golden called “selfless”. This fall, Charlton will use his athletic ability to block and catch for the Owls instead of directing the offense.
“I had already thought that with my athletic ability and my size, I could probably play the position,” Charlton said. “My mentality has been that of a physical-aggressive player.”
In preparing for his new role, the 6-4 product of Landenburg, Pa., had to do something most people dread-- gain weight. Since moving to tight end, Charlton's gained almost 25 pounds.
“Every meal you have to stuff your face,” he said. “I'd make myself peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. At 2 o'clock in the morning when I woke up, I'd eat them.”
Keeping the weight on is a challenge, too.
“For my body type, I can't really hold weight to begin with, but it's definitely an even harder task to keep the weight on and at the same time gain weight,” he added.
Growing up in Landenberg, near the Pennsylvania-Delaware-Maryland border, Charlton began his football career in second grade.
“My dad asked me if I wanted to play,” he said. “I was a center the first year. I think I actually played tight end or wide receiver one year.”
A three-year starter at quarterback at Avon Grove High School, Charlton moved from the country to the big city for college.
“Coming here on my official visit, the biggest things that impressed me were the difference from where I was living,” Charlton recalled. “And I came here for Coach Golden. There was nothing. There was no advertising of the football team, because the year before they were 0-11. I didn't really know about Temple football. The campus was nice, but when I first came in, the computer center wasn't done yet. The SAC was brand new. Avenue North wasn't there; that was just a dirt lot. There was really nothing to sell but Coach Golden's vision. That was what made me commit.”
And Charlton has made the most of his time on North Broad Street. He played in eight games with three starts as a true freshman in 2006. Backing up Adam DiMichele in 2007, Charlton saw action in seven games with four starts. After redshirting the 2008 season, Charlton returned to play in all 13 games last fall with nine starts, including the EagleBank Bowl. For his final season in the Cherry & White, Charlton takes on a new challenge-- switching to the tight end position.
“I think it was great for me. I'm having a great time with it,” Charlton shared. “I lead in different ways than I could before. I can lead more by example than I ever have before.”
Offensive coordinator Matt Rhule agrees.
“He's handled it extremely well. He already had a firm grasp of the offense obviously from playing quarterback, so the transition has been easy,” Rhule said. “He's amongst the hardest workers we've had here. He worked tirelessly over the summer to get caught up on any techniques or things in the run game that he had to learn. The biggest thing about Vaughn is that he's extremely tough. He's really a competitor and that's translated well to the position.”
Named a preseason first-team All-MAC selection at tight end by Phil Steele's College Football before ever playing a game at the position, Charlton knows he still has work to do.
“He's been doing a really good job,” said fellow tight end Matt Balasavage. “He made us step up our games and made us all improve.”
Perhaps Charlton's greatest transition was being a Temple Owl over the last five years.
“I think this five years in Temple University history has been the biggest total turnaround,” he said. “When I first came here as a freshman, it was miserable. We weren't winning. There was no support from the teachers. There was no support from the fans. There was no support from the administration. It was really rough. From the year after that, it just started to build and build and build. This year it's a privilege to walk down the street and have the administration know you. The fans are great and involved this year. Even the City, too. There are posters everywhere. People are wearing Temple football gear. It's been a privilege to be here for five years.”
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