Vaughn Highland holds the DT · Starter spot in Akron Zips’s defensive tackle room. Where he sits among the room’s front-line roles:

Vaughn Highland is a 6'1", 315-pound defensive tackle from Pennsville, New Jersey, who attended St. Mark's High School where he earned All-State and All-Conference honors in football, wrestling, and track & field. Highland played college football at Eastern University, Southern Connecticut State, and Arkansas-Pine Bluff before joining Akron as a transfer. In 2025 at Arkansas-Pine Bluff, he appeared in 12 games and recorded 38 total tackles (23 solo, 15 assisted), 4.5 tackles for loss for 19 yards, 0.5 sacks for four yards, and forced one fumble. He posted a career-high six tackles against Alabama State on November 22, 2025.

Arkansas-Pine Bluffthrough 2025

Akron2026 — present