The last few weeks have been pretty tumultuous in Tallahassee on multiple fronts as Florida State has dealt with a historic College Football Playoff snub. The fallout has resulted in the Seminoles having to do plenty of damage control on the recruiting trail and across its own roster.
Back in December, the program nearly lost one of its most talented players when redshirt junior defensive end Patrick Payton announced plans to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal. However, Payton never officially ended up appearing in the portal and started for the Seminoles in the Orange Bowl, leading to speculation that the two parties resolved any conflicts.
That news was confirmed to ring in the new year as Payton has decided to return to Florida State for another season, through an announcement with The Battle’s End. This is a huge boost for the defensive end room entering next season with Jared Verse making the leap to the professional level. Payton will be an unquestioned starter with redshirt senior Gilber Edmond, redshirt junior Byron Turner Jr, and incoming Georgia transfer Marvin Jones Jr. battling for the spot opposite of him.
The Florida native is coming off a campaign where he recorded 44 tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss, seven sacks, two forced fumbles, and ten pass deflections. Payton was named a Third-Team All-ACC selection for his efforts as he started all 14 games for the Seminoles.
Payton’s 2023 season built on top of his breakout performance the previous season where he was named the ACC’s Defensive Rookie of the Year after totaling 31 tackles, six tackles for loss, and five sacks without starting a single game.
The Seminoles are projected to return Payton, Edmond, Turner, and true freshman Lamont Green Jr. at defensive end next season. It’s worth noting that redshirt freshman walk-on Dante Anderson earned playing time during the bowl game and could be a scholarship candidate. They’ll be adding Jones Jr. through the transfer portal and four-star DD Holmes from the high school ranks. The coaching staff is expected to stay active in the portal.
Payton is the fifth Seminole to publicly reveal that he’s returning to the program in 2024. Redshirt senior running back Lawrance Toafili, redshirt senior offensive tackle Darius Washington, redshirt junior safety Shyheim Brown, and sophomore wide receiver Destyn Hill all previously made announcements over the last few weeks.
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