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Orlando OL Xavier Payne commits to Florida State for Class of 2026

On3 imageby:Ira Schoffel•12/21/24•

iraschoffel

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Orlando OL Xavier Payne committed to Florida State during visit Saturday. (Michael Langston/Warchant)

While most of the focus for Florida State right now is on the transfer portal, high school recruiting never stops. And on Saturday, the Seminoles landed a commitment from 6-foot-7 Orlando offensive tackle Xavier Payne.

The Jones High School product, who will be a rising senior and part of the class of 2026, committed while making a visit to Florida State on Saturday afternoon.

“I didn’t come with the intentions of committing,” Payne said. “But the vibe and the intensity and that he (Mike Norvell) knows how to turn around the program.”

Payne is not yet rated by On3 or other recruiting services, but he reportedly has offers to several schools, including Florida, Tennessee, UCF and Miami.

Payne is the first high school offensive line commit to Florida State since the Seminoles hired OL Coach Herb Hand as part of Gus Malzahn’s new offensive staff.

Payne said Hand extended him an offer within hours of joining the Florida State coaching staff.

“It was everything because Coach Hand offered me at UCF and we were really cool there,” the lineman said. “Literally five hours of him being here, he called me and said, ‘You’re my guy.'”

And what attracted him to Hand?

“I love how he gets after everything as a coach,” Payne said. “Not just his intensity as a coach, but he’s a huge family guy. He’s also put a lot of guys in the NFL, so that’s also a big part of it.”

And the Orlando product also had high praise for Florida State head coach Mike Norvell.

“He’s so enthusiastic about where he wants to bring this program,” Payne said.

Payne is Florida State’s sixth commitment for the 2026 class and first offensive lineman. 

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