Gainesville's Alex Payne makes his college decision

Gainesville offensive tackle Alex Payne has made his college decision. Payne, a four-star lineman, committed to play for Mack Brown and the North Carolina Tar Heels.
Payne is the 16th-ranked offense tackle in the country, and the 153rd-ranked player overall according to 247Sports. The six-foot-five, 270-pound lineman chose North Carolina over 14 other offers from programs such as Florida State, Penn State and Kentucky.

With a grateful heart I would like to Thank God, my family / teammates and all of my coaches that helped me reach this point!@CoachMackBrown @CoachClemUNC @Cudi_K @CoachHunnicutt @GoHeels @RecruitTheG @RedElephant_FB #GoHeels #COMMITTED pic.twitter.com/53a1bphf8V Alex Payne (@Alex_Payne_71) January 17, 2024

In reference to what made UNC stand out, Payne had this to say to 247Sports.

Ever since we went to that camp, we've been looking into their programs and stuff that could help out with what I'm majoring in, which is criminal justice. And, with their program and their coaches, I really feel like I'd be a good fit over there."

Payne is the fifth and highest-ranked member in the Tar Heels 2025 Class, which is currently the 13th-ranked class in the 2025 cycle. Payne continues the Tar Heels trend of getting top-talent out of the Peach State, a trend that saw North Carolina take seven players out of Georgia in the Class of 2024 including Paynes Gainesville teammate, cornerback Zion Ferguson.