Payne working to improve

Southfield (Mich.) cornerback Leviticus Payne has already garnered two scholarship offers in the recruiting process, but the 5-9, 170-pound defender is not resting on his laurels. This past weekend he found himself in New Jersey for a 7-on-7 tournament.

The Badger Sports Elite 7-on-7 tournament featured nationally recruited wide receivers such as Rivals 250 to watch list members Stefon Diggs and Leonte Carroo, but Payne was not intimidated by who was lining up across from him.

"There was a lot of good competition down there, but to tell you the truth, I am more focused on myself than focused on who they are. I was just checking guys and made sure they didn't catch the ball," Payne said. "Really why I go to 7-on-7's is to get better. Working by yourself is not going to bet you better like working with someone else is. They can push your buttons."

Payne plans to continue his development by participating in several more 7-on-7 tournaments in the coming months, and also partaking in spring combines and summer camps.

With improving his game being of paramount importance at this stage of his career, Payne is not overly concerned with the recruiting process. He picked up early offers from Iowa and Toledo, and his sitting back and waiting on more teams to join his list.

"I'm waiting on my scores to come in, and that's when more offers will come in," Payne said. "I have heard a lot of schools that are thinking about offering me, but I'm not in a rush. It's a long process."

Some of the new schools to start showing interest in Payne are Nebraska, Rutgers, Oregon State. Payne and the other members of his 7-on-7 team used their time in New Jersey this past weekend to take an unofficial visit to Rutgers.

"There was a coach that was showing us around, and I think it was one of the offensive coaches," Payne said. "They have a really nice place, from the workout room to the football field to where they eat lunch at, it was real nice."

Payne also took in a junior day at Central Michigan University in recent weeks and received strong indications that the Chippewas could be on the verge of offering.