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5-star defensive tackle Damon Payne commits to Alabama
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Five-star defensive lineman Damon Payne, the 14th overall player in the Class of 2021, verbally engaged with Alabama on Sunday afternoon on CBS Sports HQ. The 6-foot-3-inch, 297-pound monster from Belleville High School, Michigan chose the Crimson Tide over the State of Arizona, Kentucky and USC.
Payne is the highest ranked defensive tackle in the nation and the highest ranked player in the state of Michigan. He logged a 4.59 transfer run and 28.9-inch vertical at a regional camp for The Opening in March 2019. He had 59 tackles, 22 tackles to loss and eight sacks last season.
Charles Power, 247Sports national writer, likened Payne to former Alabama star and current Detroit Lions defensive lineman A’Shawn Robinson. Power provided this scouting report on Payne. ”
“A robust defensive lineman with a well proportioned frame. He does not carry much weight on his body despite being around 300 pounds. He has registered as a good athlete for the position with great short area speed and exploded in combined configurations. before his junior season. He works as a two-way lineman in Belleville and has played both ways in the camps early in his career before establishing himself as a defensive tackle prospect. He plays with a high-level combination of first-pass swiftness and strength at the point of attack. Shows the ability to create interruption as an inside pass runner with popping of the ball paired with a low level of the pad. It has active hands and has already been technically developed with effective push and pull movements at this stage. He also shows the strength at his base to anchor and make plays as a career defender. He can continue to progress from the point of view of e production on the defensive side (plays both ways) and as a persecution defender. He projects himself as a multi-year starter at the Power Five level with the advantage of becoming a first-round NFL Draft pick. ”
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Payne is the fourth five-star player to commit to the Crimson Tide since early May. Coach Nick Saban has the No. 2 class in the country and the highest ranked class in the 247Sports Composite Team Recruitment Ranking.
