Football Recruiting
Report Monday, September 21, 2015
By Sammy Batten |
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Pirates find a made-to-order tight end
By
Sammy Batten ©2015 Bonesville.net All rights reserved.
Recruiting Class of 2016 Thumbnail Sketches...
From Justin Jones to Bryce Williams,
East Carolina has featured a tight end-sized pass catcher in its
receiving corps since the “Air Raid'' offense arrived with head coach
Ruffin McNeill in 2010.
The next athlete to fill that role
currently manned by Williams may be the latest addition to ECU's
recruiting Class of 2016.
Aubry Payne, a 6-foot-5, 220-pounder
from Locust Grove High School in Georgia, chose to join the Pirates'
class on September 7 because he fits the Jones-Williams mold perfectly,
according to his prep coach Clint Satterfield.
“He's that hybrid tight end who can
put his hand down, split out wide as a receiver, or you can put him in
the backfield,'' Satterfield said. “Plus, we run the exact same offense.
East Carolina was the perfect fit for him.''
Payne had all but settled on making a
verbal commitment to ECU after an unofficial visit to Greenville in late
summer. With other offers from Cincinnati, Georgia State and
Presbyterian already on the table, he wanted to ponder a final decision
a bit longer before finally calling his main recruiter, Pirate offensive
coordinator Dave Nichol, to say he was ready to commit just after Labor
Day.
The decision marked just the second
time in the seven-year history of Locust Grove that one of its players
committed to a Football Bowl Subdivision program. Payne follows in the
footsteps of linebacker Cortez McDowell, who is now a sophomore at
Tennessee.
Payne joined the Locust Grove program
in its third season as a junior varsity offensive lineman.
“We played him at offensive tackle
that first year because of his frame,'' Satterfield said. “We knew he
was athletic. He was pretty quick, ran well and had good size. But it
wasn't until he came to the varsity the next year that we recognized his
ball skills.''
Even then, Payne's major contribution
to Locust Grove's first winning season in history (6-5) came on defense.
Playing on the defensive front, Payne collected 75 tackles, 17 tackles
for loss and one quarterback sack, while making three catches for nine
yards on offense.
Satterfield made Payne a more
important part of his offense last season when he caught 15 passes for
209 yards and five touchdowns. Payne also contributed 21 tackles as a
defensive end on a team that went 8-3.
The 2014 season marked the first
season that Satterfield implemented the same “Air Raid'' offense that
ECU has used under McNeill. Satterfield picked up the offense from his
brother, who is also a high school coach, and received tips about
running it from Nichol.
“If you put a tape in and look at the
formations and everything we do, it looks just like East Carolina,''
Satterfield said. “Since we started it, Coach Nichol has been a good
resource. We've called him up with questions about various things.
Through that we developed a good relationship with him.
“He (Nichol) came down here during
our spring practice and that's when he noticed Aubry.''
Payne's role on offense at Locust
Grove has grown during this season's 3-0 start. He's accumulated nine
receptions for 197 yards in those victories, including a 35-yard
catch-and-run for a score in the third game.
“He's the kind of player who can
create mismatches against those 5-foot-10 defensive backs,'' Satterfield
said. “He's one of those guys like (Rob) Gronkowski (New England
Patriots tight end), or the guy North Carolina had (Eric Ebron now with
Detroit Lions).''
Payne has benefited from some
NFL-type tutoring from the Locust Grove coaching staff. His position
coach is former Auburn University and NFL wide receiver Karsten Bailey.
“He's fortunate to have that level of coaching on a daily basis,''
Satterfield said.
The pledge from Payne is the 13th for
ECU and the seventh from a player projected as an offensive player.
E-mail Sammy Batten
PAGE UPDATED
09/21/15 03:59 PM.
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