Evaluating Alabama Commit, SI All-American Candidate 2021 DT Damon Payne
Building an elite-caliber defense starts in the trenches and the University of Alabama football program has done that in its 2021 recruiting class with Anquin Barnes and Damon Payne.
The Crimson Tide was able to land Payne's commitment at the end of July over schools like Arizona State, Kentucky, USC, and LSU.
During his junior year at Belleville High School in Michigan, the 6-foot-4, 295 pound prospect recorded 59 total tackles, 22 tackles for loss, and eight sacks.
"Maturity for sure stands out," Belleville coach Jermain Crowell told Bama Central. "He is an old man in a young person's body. Just the way he goes about everything. I had coached a lot of All-Americans, but none of them were as mature as Damon. He never got caught up in the recruitment process. He does not care about the hype. He did it his way. He does not really do interviews. He just wants to enjoy high school and play with his teammates.
"He leads by example, and now he is showing all of our young guys how to go about their business and focus on what is important.
"I think he is going to play on Sundays. He has dominated ever since he has been in high school. We put out a lot of Division 1 talent and he has been a starter for us since almost day one."
This week, Sports Illustrated All-American released its list of top 10 interior defensive linemen in the 2021 recruiting class and Payne ended up at No. 2 only behind Korey Foreman, who has Alabama in his final seven schools to choose from.
SI All-American analyst Edwin Weathersby II likes what the Wolverine State product will be able to accomplish at the next level.
"Payne is a big interior defensive line prospect who plays to his size at the point. He’s got experience playing across the defensive front, as we’ve seen him line up at 0, 1, 3 and 5 technique on tape. The Michigan native loves to use a swim move to defeat blockers in the trenches and syncs up his lower-half well when clearing his hips at entry points. He also possesses plus COD traits and quickness to hunt in short areas. Payne also likes his swim/arm-over as a pass-rusher. He has both single-gap and 2-gap traits to his game, due to his penetration quickness, size, strength and tight-space athleticism. Payne could see time as a base 0-tech nose tackle for Alabama head coach Nick Saban, though he has the versatility to move across the defensive line since the Crimson Tide routinely deploys multiple fronts on Saturdays."
A full evaluation of Payne's skill set is listed below:
Prospect: Damon Payne
Status: SI All-American Candidate
Vitals: 6-foot-4, 295 pounds
Position: Defensive Tackle
School: Belleville (Mich.) Belleville
Schools of Interest: Penn State, Alabama, USC, Ohio State, LSU, Arizona State, Kentucky, Oregon and Michigan.
Projected Position: Defensive Tackle
Frame: Thick chest with some baby fat to lose. Adequate definition in traps and arms. Big legs and hips.
Athleticism: Throws shot put and discus in track and field. Plays left tackle on offense. Fires out with quick first step to engage. Strong and tough inside. Very good body quickness when asked to play in single gap. Plays with force and power. Surprisingly nimble with good change of direction in pursuit. Has good short-area quickness to finish.
Instincts: Solid ball-location skills post snap. Quick scheme read versus run. Very good body sync/coordination when clearing near-leg and hips at the point. Will chase and pursue backside. Relies heavily on swim/arm-over versus run and as a pass-rusher. Flashes an occasional swipe.
Polish: Plays across defensive front, lining up as 0, 1, 3, and even some 5-technique. Is versatile enough to penetrate and 2-gap. Has mass, along with enough quickness and change of direction ability to contribute early in career. Needs to improve block awareness when pursuing backside. Also must add more to hand-usage toolbox in both run and pass.
