A handful of high schoolers gathered in Aspirations Fitness Institution after school last Wednesday. Some tossed a football while others sat on the workout equipment and chatted about their scholarship offers.

It marked a week before college football's early signing period. The teenagers were waiting for their trainer, Chris Vaughn, who then burst through the door — 15 minutes late, still on his cell phone.

“It’s been like this — nonstop,” said Vaughn, the owner of the gym, referring to the college coaches on the other end of the line.

Follow along:Live updates: College football early signing period begins

Recently, Kentucky has produced more high-level college football prospects than in years past. One of the reasons for that is Vaughn, a former Louisville football player, who trains and mentors kids at his gym in the Southland Park neighborhood.

His successes include Purdue wide receiver Rondale Moore, who is from New Albany, Indiana, Duke defensive end Tahj Rice and Louisville cornerback Jairus Brents in 2018. For the 2019 class, he trained Nebraska running back commit Wandale Robinson, Stanford defensive end commit Stephen Herron Jr., and a trio of Kentucky commits — linebacker Jared Casey, and defensive ends JJ Weaver and Shawnkel Knight-Goff.

Read this:College football's early signing period creates recruiting pressure

More:Louisville-area high school football players to sign with colleges

Many of his kids will sign during the early signing period, which runs through Friday, adding to the 111 athletes in six years he's guided to scholarships, many of them for football.

What sets Vaughn's players apart, said Steve Wiltfong, director of recruiting for 247Sports.com, is that the recruits are "always in terrific shape," are advanced in their preparation, and put up the biggest numbers at recruiting camps.

"They are always in the creme de la creme amongst their positions," Wiltfong said. "That's from the guys in the trenches to the skill positions. He's providing a ton of service to these young men."

Meanwhile, Vaughn tries to keep what he calls a "behind-the-scenes" approach. He said he never tells a kid what college they should attend, but rather provides advice. And he embraces the mentor role by drawing on his experiences as a high-level football player — especially his mistakes.

"I think it’s important that they understand I’m not a perfect person," Vaughn said. "I don’t expect perfection out of them. But what I expect is for them to be aware of their surroundings, don’t embarrass their families and do the best they can moving forward to make the right decisions."

Learning from mistakes

A highly touted high school wide receiver in Connecticut, Vaughn signed with Notre Dame in 2004. But he opted to transfer to Louisville after he played sparingly as a freshman because of a coaching change.

He battled injuries and inconsistency with the Cardinals, and made noise off the field, with a 2006 arrest where he and a teammate were shooting paintballs at bystanders.

Vaughn said he learned from that how to avoid putting himself in the wrong situations. Other regrets include dropping balls, rehabbing incorrectly, eating poorly, and working out incorrectly, among several others.

"These are all stories I share with the kids," he said.

Down the street:Langford and Moore: National stars, New Albany neighbors

After college, he signed with the New Orleans Saints but spent his only NFL season out with a torn ACL, before returning to Louisville as a graduate assistant.

It was then that he was found his calling after his godson, former Waggener High star Jairus Brents, lost his father. Vaughn stepped in as a mentor. That eventually progressed to serving as his football trainer.

“I realized that I was more passionate about helping the younger kids and I could make more of an impact at the age group," Vaughn said.

Vaughn's reputation began to grow after Brents was offered a scholarship as a 13-year-old by Kentucky. Then, as Vaughn put it, "another kid showed up, another kid showed up, we were in a park with 10 kids.”

He trained everywhere from Waterfront Park to Butler High School, before moving indoors in 2014. He opened his current spot in November 2017 and now trains more than 100 athletes across all sports, as well as some adults.

“We used to literally use paper plates and socks as cones. ... I didn’t have any equipment. I didn’t have any insurance money in case everything happened," Vaughn said, adding that he leaned on his mentor to learn how to run a business. "It all worked out."

'Melting pot'

The gym looks like a YMCA or Boys and Girls Club, with its bright-colored walls, motivational quotes and turf football field that splits rows of exercise equipment.

That's by design for Vaughn, who said he grew up in those facilities. He called his venue a "safe spot" and "melting pot" with players from all areas of the city.

Among the group there was Herron, the Trinity High student, who also sports a 4.0 GPA. He started working out with Vaughn in the summer after seventh grade.

On the field, Herron credited Vaughn with teaching him how to be aggressive. He also taught him something as simple as a firm handshake. He said Chris pushed him, likening their relationship to fatherly love.

Looking back:Bobby Petrino's neglect of Louisville-area recruiting remains baffling

"Chris did everything with no remorse," Herron said. "That right there is why I'm going where I'm going."

Vaughn is very methodical about his approach. He starts workouts sometimes in middle school and creates individual workouts and meal plans, progressing as they get older. He also teaches the "business" side of recruiting, including coaching them on what questions to ask and sorting their priorities in picking a school.

Players come from as far as Indianapolis and Cincinnati for his services, he said. He charges either a monthly or a per-session fee, with the players usually playing between $100 and $200 a month. He doesn't turn away anyone and doesn't scout, relying on word of mouth for advertising.

"My model is I want to make a decent kid good, a good kid great and a great kid elite," he said. He tells his parents his goal is to "get your kid scholarship money," often a necessity for some of them to attend college.

“This is something I would do for free. I’m passionate about this. It means everything to me to see these kids accomplish their goals," Vaughn said.

He also handles talking to college coaches. He estimates he talks to five a day, with schools ranging from Clemson to Western Kentucky to Lindsey Wilson College.

He admits that could create some strain with high school coaches in the area. But he said he overcomes that by focusing on the kids.

Signees:Get to know Kentucky football's 2019 recruiting class

“It’s a little different in here than it is for a high school coach — they’re trying to win games. I just want the kids to have success," he said.

Vaughn said his ultimate goal is to open up locations across the country. But for now, he's focused on his next crop of recruits, including a trio of wide receivers in 2020 — Male's Izayah Cummings, Boyle County's Reese Smith, and Ballard High's Josh Minkins Jr.

"There’s bunch of kids that are developing year in and year out," Vaughn said. "I think recruiters are taking a lot more notice of Kentucky. I pray that we continue on that success.”

Justin Sayers: 502-582-4252; jsayers@courierjournal.com; Twitter: @_JustinSayers. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: courier-journal.com/justins.