Massive offensive line recruit Xavier Payne picks Colorado over Syracuse

From perhaps even before a June 22 parting of ways with Florida State, offensive line recruit Xavier Payne was highest on Colorado and Syracuse.

After official visits to all three campuses in June, he told Rivals things were very close between the Buffs and Orange.

But now we have our answer.

Big. No. 72, who stands 6-foot-7 and now preps at Miami (Fla.) Edison, elected to come off the board on Monday evening. Payne announced a pick for Coach Prime and company in the end.

“That’s just where I want to be,” he told Rivals. “Everyone there has been to the league and that’s where I want to go.”

Payne is projected to play tackle for CU, sitting as just the sixth verbal commitment from the high school ranks to date. The 2026 class had not yet included an offensive lineman.

Like Jordan Seaton and others before him to make the move to the Buffs at the position, Payne expects to contend for early playing time once moved in for good.

“It doesn’t matter where I play,” he said. “I want to play as early as possible and that’s the path they see for me.”

Seaton spent time with the newest Buff while he took in the Boulder official visit last month.

“Me and Seaton actually got on the board for a little and compared my high school plays and showed me how they would run it,” he said. “We both love the game deeply and love talking football. Like him sitting with me wasn’t because of the coaches, he had just popped up in the offensive line room to hang a poster up and we just hit it off.”

Coach Prime strikes in his native state of Florida

Sanders was not in Boulder at the time of Payne’s official visit, but it doesn’t mean he did not work this recruitment.

“Yes of course we have connected,” Payne said of his future head coach. “He is a great man.”

The rest of the Buffs battery made things happen while Payne was on campus.

“The best part was being to sit down with the offensive line coaches and truly building that connection while getting to see their plan for me and how I fit into the program,” he said. “As I was sitting in the room it really hit me how much NFL experience is on the staff. So not only do they know how to get there because they did it, but also because they have sent so many in their years of coaching.

“The main coaches with me were the entire offensive line group and mainly coach Gunnar (White)….I meshed really well there.”