6-foot-7 Offensive Tackle Xavier Payne Commits To Florida State

Herb Hand lands his first high school pledge since arriving in Tallahassee.

Xavier Payne

The majority of the attention is on Florida State's haul in the NCAA Transfer Portal, and for good reason.

With that being said, from a high school and junior college perspective, the Seminoles have all but wrapped up #Tribe25. Now, some of the focus is turning to the 2026 cycle, where FSU already holds one of the top classes in the country.

On Saturday evening, 2026 offensive tackle Xavier Payne announced he was committing to Florida State following an unofficial visit to Tallahassee. Payne was the first prep prospect that new offensive line coach Herb Hand offered after being hired by the Seminoles. The move paid off swiftly for the garnet and gold.

READ MORE: Florida State Lands Productive Western Kentucky Defensive End Transfer Deante McCray

Payne spent his junior season as the starting left tackle at Jones High School. He helped the Tigers make the state championship game, ultimately coming up short 40-31 to American Heritage. Jones brings tremendous size to the table, considering he has one season left at the high school level, and is a people mover.

The Florida native was also offered by Hand when he was the offensive line coach at UCF. A local to the area, Payne visited the Knights multiple times and built a strong relationship with hand and now FSU offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn. The previous bond and need at the position made Payne a clear fit for the Seminoles.

Payne stands at 6-foot-7, 290 pounds and is not currently ranked in the 2026 class by 247Sports. He chose Florida State over offers from 20+ programs, including Florida, Arkansas, Miami, Ole Miss, Penn State, Syracuse, Tennessee, West Virginia, and USF, among others.

With the addition of Payne, the Seminoles hold six commitments in their 2026 class. The haul ranks No. 9 in the country.

Payne joins four-star quarterback Brady Smigiel, four-star wide receiver Efrem White, four-star wide receiver Darryon Williams, three-star defensive back Darryl Bell III, and three-star defensive back Tedarius Hughes in #Tribe26.

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READ MORE: Florida State Linebacker Entering NCAA Transfer Portal

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