FSU football had several players on its roster with major expectations going into the 2024 season. One of those players was former ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year Patrick Payton.
However, Payton failed to come close to those expectations in what should have been a money year to convert into a high NFL Draft pick.
I saw some signs that there would be trouble for him whenever Jared Verse wasn't on the field to command double teams. The hope was Marvin Jones Jr. would help, but that wasn't the case.
As I said when Payton was threatening to hold FSU hostage for more NIL money after the 2023 season:
There's a reason it's more batted balls instead or sacks or hurries while getting 1 on 1's...smart decision to let him ride if true.
— Kelvin Hunt (@khchopchat) December 6, 2023
FSU brought him back for 2024, and it was a waste of resources. Payton didn't want to return to FSU after last season, and he wasn't wanted back by most fans or the coaches, so he entered the transfer portal and ended up at LSU.
LSU fans and coaches thought they were getting a great player when they looked at the stats. However, those stats were misleading when you turned on the tape. Here we are, a few weeks from the 2025 season opener, and Patrick Payton projects to be a backup at LSU, according to the latest reports from their fall camp.
Payton lacks the overall strength and motor to be an elite player. When you look at his stats with a magnifying glass, they were often padded against inferior competition, or he'd make a play when he was left unblocked.
Some FSU fans thought it was a bad thing that he wanted to leave FSU, but that's not the case. It was addition by subtraction, and it looks like LSU might be finding out that they didn't get the player they thought they were.