Minnesota leads Payne sweepstakes

LAND O'LAKES -- Logan Payne now has two offers to play Division I football. Army recently joined Minnesota as a competitor for the services of the Land O'Lakes wide receiver.

And it's just the start for the state receptions leader. Recruiters from Central Florida and Division I-AA Eastern Kentucky visited Payne at school last week, Clemson and Central Florida have shown interest, he has an offer to walk on at Florida State, and Payne expects to make an official visit to South Florida soon.

Still, Payne said that as other teams show interest, it's hard to ignore the team that has shown the most.

"Right now, I would love to go to Minnesota," he said. "I'm still open to other offers, anywhere closer to home would be great. But Minnesota would be awesome, (so would) being in the Big Ten."

The 6-foot-1, 180-pound Payne helped lead Land O'Lakes to a school-best, 12-1 record while leading the state with 72 receptions and 21 touchdown catches. He set another school record with 1,251 receiving yards and was named to the Class 4A all-state first team.

Those numbers are one of the reasons why a Golden Gophers offensive coordinator watched Payne in Land O'Lakes' basketball win over Zephyrhills last week.

Payne has scheduled an official visit to Minnesota this weekend. The process has been rough on his family.

"My parents don't love it too much," he said. "But I'm loving it."

DECISIONS, DECISIONS: Land O'Lakes teammate Joey Tuttle, being recruited as a defensive lineman and longsnapper, said he isn't well-suited for the difficult recruiting process.

"The scary part right now is making decisions," Tuttle said. "I'm the worst person for making decisions. I got to McDonald's and I have a tough time figuring out what kind of meal I want to get."

Central Florida and Georgia Southern have expressed the strongest interest in the 6-3, 235-pounder. UCF wants Tuttle as a longsnapper, though he hopes to be able to work his way onto the defense.

"I want to be a position player," Tuttle said. "I don't want to sit on the sidelines during the game."

While Georgia Southern wants him to play defense; his longsnapping skills would be a bonus. But location is a concern.

"It's real far from home," he said. "UCF's kind of more in my comfort zone. It's really close, and I've gotten to know the coaches real well there."

He has already visited UCF and has a Georgia Southern visit pending. East Tennessee State and Western Kentucky are also two latecomers.

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