The Georgia State football team got a boost when two-time all-conference tight end Aubry Payne was granted a seventh season of eligibility by the NCAA.
“This is huge,” Payne said. “A lot of people put a lot of time and a lot of work to make this happen, and I want to thank them all.”
Payne has 47 receptions for 541 yards and 13 touchdowns in three seasons at Georgia State. He holds the school record for most touchdown receptions for a tight end and is tied for fourth among all receivers. In 2021 he caught 25 passes, seven for touchdowns, and had a career-high eight receptions for 109 yards and two touchdowns in the win over Ball State in the Camellia Bowl.
A 6-foot-4, 235-pound native of Locust Grove, Payne began his career at Western Carolina in 2016, where he made the Southern Conference All-Freshman team, but played only one game in 2017 because of injury and sat out the 2018 season after transferring to Georgia State.
Payne earned his degree in sociology in December 2021 and plans to pursue a graduate degree in sports administration, with the long-term goal of becoming a coach.
“I wanted to come back to be here for my teammates because I feel like I can help this team do something that we’ve never done before, and I wanted to continue my education and my football career.”
Payne, who got married shortly after the season ended, will turn 25 in October and become the oldest player in the program’s history.
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