Victor Payne
Career Summary
Victor 'VJ' Payne is a safety from Gainesville, Georgia, who played college football at Kansas State.
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Early Life
Payne was born March 17, 2004, in Gainesville, Georgia. He is the son of Tywonna Payne and has two siblings, Kennedy and Victoria.
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High School
Payne played at Buford High School under coach Bryant Appling. He helped Buford compile a 14-1 record and win a state championship as a senior, after also being part of state-title teams as a sophomore and junior; he earned first-team all-region recognition as a senior and competed in track and field.
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College Career
Payne played in every game as a Kansas State true freshman in 2022, making four starts including the Big 12 Championship and Sugar Bowl. He then started all 13 games in 2023, recording 52 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, an interception, three passes defended, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. In 2024 he started all 13 games, made 64 tackles, added 3.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions and six passes defended.
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Path to the NFL
Payne progressed from a championship-winning Buford program into an immediate contributor at Kansas State, developing from a true-freshman starter into a two-time All-Big 12 honorable-mention safety.
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Career Accomplishments
Payne earned All-Big 12 Honorable Mention honors in both 2023 and 2024. In 2022, he became the first Kansas State true freshman on defense to start a season opener since at least 1988, and his 10 tackles in the Sugar Bowl tied for 10th in school bowl history.
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Playing Style
Payne is a 6-foot-3 safety whose early Kansas State role combined range in the secondary with physical run support. His production included tackles for loss, takeaways, pass breakups and forced fumbles.
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32099, 00-0041120, 3/17/2004, Victor Payne, Victor, Payne
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