Florida State DE Patrick Payton honored as ACC Defensive Rookie of Year
While many of the Florida State football team’s top players this season were transfers, Mike Norvell and the Seminoles’ coaches also have proven they can recruit and develop elite high school players.
Perhaps the best example of that this year is redshirt freshman defensive end Patrick Payton, who emerged this fall as Florida State’s second-best pass-rusher. And on Wednesday, Payton was honored by the Atlantic Coast Conference as the ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year.
He is the third Seminole to win the award, which was first introduced in 2007, and the first since 2012. Previous winners were cornerback Xavier Rhodes in 2010 and cornerback Ronald Darby in 2012.
Payton, who was a four-star prospect when he signed with FSU out of Miami Northwestern High in the class of 2021, saw very limited game action during his first year on campus. But as a key member of the Seminoles’ defensive end rotation this fall, he recorded four sacks to finish second only behind All-ACC first-teamer Jared Verse.
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Payton was credited with 29 tackles, five tackles for loss, three pass breakups and one forced fumble. His tackle total ranked behind only Verse and fellow defensive end Derrick McLendon among defensive linemen on the team.
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His four sacks were the most for any freshman in the ACC this fall. The only freshman with more tackles for loss than Payton’s 5.0 was teammate Joshua Farmer with 6.0.
Florida State is 9-3 on the season and waiting to learn its postseason bowl fate. The Seminoles will be making their first postseason appearance since December.
On Tuesday, 15 Florida State players were named to the All-ACC team. The selections are made by a panel of 51 media members and all 14 head football coaches.
Talk about this story with other die-hard FSU football fans on the Tribal Council.
