Tag: Alex Payne

Four-star offensive lineman flips from North Carolina to USC

Josh Henson picks up a huge flip of a 4-star offensive lineman. This is what Henson must do to save his job at USC. Is it enough? Lincoln Riley must have an answer.

USC football recruiting just scored a notable win on Friday. Four-star offensive lineman Alex Payne flipped from North Carolina to the Trojans. The 6-5, 285-pound prospect gives USC a significant addition to its offensive front. The story is important in itself and on its own terms, but it also contains value relative to the one big coaching drama at USC right now, the question of whether Lincoln Riley should — and will — fire offensive line coach Josh Henson.

We said this about Henson’s job status:

Josh Henson has not built this offensive line at the standard one should expect at USC. He has fallen short. Unless Riley knows that Henson is going to get it right in terms of roster construction this coming offseason, he has to find someone else to do the job at a higher level.

The Alex Payne flip is a big win for Josh Henson. Lincoln Riley needs to ask himself if this is enough to meaningfully change the calculus at USC football. No one would say this is enough for Henson to be retained, but if other elite prospects are about to come in — on the trail and in the portal — that could definitely alter the equation for Lincoln Riley on the Josh Henson question.

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Two UNC football recruits move up in Rivals250 update

The 2024 Rivals250 list has been released and UNC football finds two future superstars in the reveal.

The UNC football recruiting adventure has felt like a roller coaster. However, good news is on the horizon as the team boasts two players listed in the update reveal of Rival’s top 250 prospects in the Class of 2025.

In the Class of 2024, freshman wide receiver Jordan Shipp, cornerback Zion Ferguson, safety Ty’Shun White, and wide receiver Alex Taylor all made the list of Rivals Top 250 of last year for Tar Heel football.

The two players who are on the list as seniors in high school this year are quarterback Bryce Baker and offensive tackle Alex Payne.

Baker finds himself as the No. 79 ranked player on the list up 76 spots. The 6-foot-2 quarterback from East Forsyth High School in Kernersville, North Carolina is a four-star product on 247sports. He is the No. 11 ranked QB in the class and the No. 5 ranked player out of NC.

With two quarterbacks on the roster transfer graduates, Baker has a good shot at winning the quarterback job next year.

Payne is the No. 178 ranked player on Rivals which is up 47 spots. Payne is also a four-star recruit on 247sports out of Gainesville High in Gainesville, Georgia. He is the No. 11 ranked tackle in the class and the No. 15 ranked player out of Georgia.

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4-star Alex Payne talks about his North Carolina football commitment

Alex Payne talks about his commitment to North Carolina.

Last week, four-star offensive lineman Alex Payne committed to North Carolina. He is now one of the foundational pieces for the Tar Heels and their 2025 recruiting class.

A 6-foot-5, 265-pound offensive tackle from Gainesville, Georgia, Payne is the No. 233 player in the nation in the ESPN 300. He had an offer list that included Baylor, Duke, Florida State, Kentucky and Virginia Tech among others.

Payne spoke with USA TODAY High School Sports about his commitment to North Carolina and what stood out to make the Tar Heels special in his recruitment. He said his recruitment is shut down with no other visits planned. He is fully committed to North Carolina and head coach Mack Brown.

“When we visited this last time I got to spend more time with the coaches and the new assistant offensive line coach (Kyle Fuller). Everything lined up for me and it just felt right being there,” Payne told USA TODAY High School Sports.

“I had no intention of feeling so strongly about it originally … it was planned to be just a ‘Junior Day’ visit and then I would go to the next few visits I had lined up already. But the feeling of North Carolina being my place was just really strong… it’s hard to put into words. After having a long talk with coach Brown and the other coaches everything just felt right.”

North Carolina did a good job of getting in on Payne from the get-go and making him a priority. This included his first visit to Chapel Hill, which was for a summer camp.

“From the very first visit, the staff was top-notch!” Payne said.

“They greeted me like we had known each other for years and they were my biggest fan. That stayed consistent with that every time I visited. That was a plus.”