This will be third visit elsewhere since the massive offensive lineman pledged to FSU.
Florida State's offensive line was in need of a serious makeover following the 2024 season and head coach Mike Norvell tabbed Herb Hand to flip the unit back around. The Seminoles have added eight new faces to the room, including four experienced transfers. Hand is also already focused on the future, evidenced by the work he's put in on the recruiting trail over the last few weeks.
Near the end of December, FSU picked up a commitment from three-star offensive tackle Xavier Payne. Despite his pledge to the Seminoles, Payne has remained relatively open to other schools and is expected to visit two other programs this weekend. He's set to make his way to Georgia and Georgia Tech, per his social media.
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The Bulldogs previously met with Payne in January along with schools such as Florida and Syracuse. He's picked up offers from Pittsburgh, Missouri, and FIU and took a visit to Miami a few weeks ago.
Head coach Mike Norvell dropped by Payne's high school last week to show the massive offensive lineman that he's still a priority for the Seminoles.
During his junior season, Payne started at left tackle at Jones High School. He helped the Tigers make an appearance in the state championship game, coming up short 40-31 to American Heritage and FSU signee, Gregory Xavier Thomas. Payne brings tremendous size to the table and has a lot of potential. He was a prep teammate of Florida State quarterback Trever Jackson.
The Florida native has built a strong relationship with Hand and offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn dating back to their time at UCF. He picked up an offer from the Knights and visited the program multiple times. Despite the ties, it appears that the Seminoles are going to have to continue to battle to keep Payne in the class. He was on campus the same day that he committed in December but a return trip in the near future would certainly be welcome for Florida State.
The 6-foot-7, 290-pound offensive lineman is regarded as the No. 536 overall prospect, the No. 40 OT, and the No. 74 recruit in Florida in the 2026 class according to 247Sports.
Florida State holds six verbal commitments in its 2026 class which ranks No. 10 in the country.
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