Sports

Georgia State’s 24-Year-Old TE Is Somehow Coming Back For His 7th Year Of CFB And His Reaction Is Priceless

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When Aubry Payne celebrates his birthday in October, he will turn 25 years old. And yet, somehow, he will still be playing college football at Georgia State.

Payne, a former two-star recruit, has had quite the journey thus far. He committed to play for Western Carolina as a linebacker out of high school.

That was in 2016. Now, seven years later, Payne is married, already has a college degree, plays for a completely different school, and will be seven years older than some of his teammates.

After spending his first two years at Western Carolina, Payne transferred to play for the Panthers in 2018 after missing the majority of 2017 with an injury. Upon arrival in Atlanta, he quickly worked his way into a prominent role with the offense.

He earned second-team All-Sun Belt Conference honors in 2019, played well in the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season, and led the team in touchdown catches last year. Now, because of the injury early in his career and the COVID-19 blanket waiver, Payne will be back next fall.

Payne will turn 25 in October and will be the oldest player to ever suit up for Georgia State and the program’s first seventh-year student-athlete. He found out on Friday that the NCAA is allowing him to come back in 2021 and his reaction is absolutely priceless.

For starters, he looks like a full-grown man— ring and all. But the pure joy on his face is everything that is great about college sports.