Payne was a swiss-army knife player for Pope this year playing both defense and offense. Acceleration to the football is top-notch for Payne, he does a really nice job of locating the ball carrier and exploding through the hips on a tackle attempt. Like his versatility to play on the edge of 3-5-3 defense, but also play in a traditional 4-3 at WILL. Just under 200 lbs, Payne is a tough tackler that should continue to fill out his frame and be a lot closer to 220 at the next level. Good hustle player, can change direction well which allows him to square up on his tackles than other recruits. Junior season was a very productive one for Payne – he showed as a defender the ability to get into the backfield, but also drop back in coverage or man up on the inside slot receiver too. Continuing to improve on his coverage skills while getting bigger/stronger should be a top tier focus for the Pope class of 20 student-athlete.
RECRUIT GEORGIA COMBINES
JOIN OUR FREE DATABASE
SEARCH POSITION & CLASS