Patrick Payton signs Letter of Intent to play at Florida State

After four-star outside linebacker and defensive end Patrick Payton de-committed from Nebraska late in the recruiting process, Mike Norvell and staff managed to secure a commitment from the Miami Northwestern product.

Wednesday, he made that pledge official, signing with the Florida State Seminoles over the Miami (FL) Hurricanes and Nebraska Cornhuskers:

Payton, considered the No. 22 outside linebacker in the country according to 247 Composite rankings, visited the school back in January as part of FSU’s Junior Day. He’s listed at six-foot-five, 205 pounds on his recruiting profile.

Though he needs to add some weight before fully developing into a consistent threat, our CoachAB says Payton’s game is reminiscent of former Florida State Seminole and current Carolina Panther Brian Burns.

From the first play of his senior highlights, you can see Payton really likes to bat down passes. His length contributes to this, of course, but it’s good to see this sort of awareness from a high school player. This is something that will be decidedly more difficult to do in the college game, but Payton’s length should allow some of this to translate.

Pat Payton is a really nice player with tons of upside. As a skinny kid, it’s important to see how his athleticism holds up as he enters a college weightlifting program and adds weight to a skinny frame.

From his FSU bio:

DE | 6-5 | 215

MIAMI, FLA.

MIAMI NORTHWESTERN HIGH SCHOOL

Four-star ranked as No. 7 outside linebacker in America and No. 18 overall prospect in Florida by 247Sports…helped lead Miami Northwestern to region quarterfinal round of 5A state playoffs in shortened senior season…earned first-team All-Dade 8A-5A recognition after helping lead Bulls to 5A state championship in his junior season…collected 17.5 sacks that year, including 5.0 vs. eventual 8A state champion Miami Columbus, to pace defense that allowed only 12.4 points per game.