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Washington High School defensive end/tight end Gary Payne is the third Beaufort County football player to commit to Elizabeth City State University during the winter recruiting period.

Payne signed his scholarship to the Division II school in front of family and friends in the WHS fieldhouse Friday and joins Southside teammates Tequon Moore and Noah Smith as future Vikings.

He was also the defensive MVP of the 252-919 All Star game in December.

“I think ECSU is the best place for me to grow as a football player and as a man,” Payne said. “I also visited Winston-Salem State, Randolph-Macon, Barton and North Carolina Wesleyan, but when you know you know and I knew after my visit that Elizabeth City was the place for me.”

The 6’2 210-pounder was named to the Eastern Plains All-Conference first team and was in the discussion for defensive player of the year honors. He led the Pam Pack with 67.5 tackles, including 15 for a loss, four sacks and four fumble recoveries. He also caught seven passes for 113 yards and ran for a touchdown.

“He has a ton of potential and an extremely high ceiling,” coach Matt Taylor said. “The game slowed down for him last fall, he operates very well in space and is athletic out in the flat. He can play a lot of positions, but I see him as an edge rusher who can be very disruptive in the offensive backfield. He’s a very good football player and an even better human being who will handle the grind of working toward success.”

Payne was the starting center on the basketball team and will compete in the 100-meter dash, the 200 relay, the shot put and discus for the track team this spring.

“I’ve always loved sports, but I love football the most because it allows me to be physical,” Payne said. “I got the idea of playing in college when I came here as a freshman. I competed well with the varsity guys in practice and saw some time at the end of the season. There are plenty of highlights here, but you can’t beat the feeling of the day-to-day fun of being part of something with your teammates. I enjoyed all of it and am grateful for the opportunity to keep playing.”

Payne plans on majoring in exercise science and modern psychology.

The Vikings compete in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) along with Winston-Salem State, Shaw and Johnson C. Smith from North Carolina along with several other schools from Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania.