DK Kaufman sets tone with kickoff returns in win over Stanford

DK Kaufman wasn’t sure if his college career would get past his freshman year at Vanderbilt. He was diagnosed with myocarditis, a heart condition where the muscle becomes inflamed, while he was with the Commodores and Kaufman’s football future was in jeopardy. 

While his first season of college football was cut short, Kaufman was eventually cleared to play football again. He transferred to Auburn following that campaign, where the hard-hitting safety spent the next three seasons, before joining NC State this year.

With that medical experience in mind, Kaufman plays every snap like it’s his last. And he’s brought that mindset with him to the Wolfpack, where Kaufman has become a key staple in NC State’s defense. But in the Pack’s 59-28 win over Stanford on Saturday afternoon, it wasn’t his two total tackles that made an imprint on the game. Instead, it was his kickoff return skills. 

“Special teams, you flip the script, you flip the momentum,” Kaufman said. “It can be overlooked sometimes, but that’s huge. Special teams, that’s a part of the game. It ain’t going nowhere. You only get one play on special teams, so you gotta maximize every time.”

Kaufman, a speedster at 5-foot-10, 204 pounds, set the tone early with a 45-yard return on the opening kickoff of the game. He later followed it up with a 91-yard scamper, which gave the Pack’s offense an extremely short field in the third quarter. 

Those two returns were the highlight of Kaufman’s day, which he finished with three attempts for 164 total yards. While he impressed with his ability to find the hole and get up field for game-changing plays, they were truly Kaufman’s first chance to make a play on special teams this season. 

Before the Stanford win, Kaufman had just three kickoff returns through the first eight games of the season. He averaged 29.7 yards per attempt up to the game against the Cardinal, but he thought he could exploit Stanford’s special teams unit on Saturday. 

Kaufman saw Stanford’s kickoff coverage unit wasn’t very aggressive on film. He wanted to attack that with his own aggression as a returner, taking any ball in the field of play out. 

And he did just that. 

Kaufman gave NC State’s offense a short field to work with as a mostly young core of freshmen and redshirt freshmen are in key positions on the unit. For the New Orleans native, it was all about laying it on the line in everything he does. Kick returns are no different. 

Those that watched him on the sideline, meanwhile, wanted to keep watching Kaufman’s elite return specialty. 

“It was exciting,” freshman quarterback CJ Bailey said. “I was telling everybody on the sideline, ‘Let DK return it because he’s going to pop one.’ … I was telling everybody [to] let DK run because he’s going to make a play for us. It was really good to have DK back there making plays.”

Kaufman’s ability to flip the field made life easier for NC State, which posted a program-best 59 points against an ACC foe. 

Coach Dave Doeren was overjoyed to see Kaufman find success on special teams in a critical game as the Pack looks to close the season with an unblemished mark across its final five games. 

“He deserves it,” Doeren said. “The kid works his butt off at practice every day. … You love seeing guys get rewarded that work hard. He’s helping us in a big way, not just on defense, but in that returning position. It’s been a game changer.”

Kaufman was a dominant kick returner during his time at New Orleans (La.) Archbishop Rummell, where he scored on one during the 2019 state championship to become the game’s MVP as he helped his team cap a 13-0 season. That skill set carried over with the Pack and showed itself against the Cardinal. 

The defensive back has always loved kick returns during his entire football career, and with at least three college games left in his career, Kaufman was determined to make a lasting impact on special teams. 

The Stanford game presented the best opportunity for him to do just that, and the Wolfpack’s blockers helped unlock the rest in the decisive victory. 

“The difference today was just that we wanted it more,” Kaufman said. “Not to say we didn’t in the other games, but we were just one man away. Just between my teammates and me running through the smoke, it was just one of those days. … God was on our side.”