Super Athlete Led California In Picks

Junior to Watch: Bryan Payton

School: West Covina (Calif.) South Hills

Position: Cornerback/Wide Receiver

Size and Speed: Payton stands 6-foot-2, weighs 185 pounds and runs the 40 in 4.47 electronically. His bench is 240 and he has recorded a vertical jump of 33-inches.

Honors: Payton was selected first-team all-state, all-area, all-CIF (all sections and Division VII), and all-league.

Statistics: Payton led the state in interceptions with 11. He also had 36 tackles from his corner spot. On the offensive side of the ball, Payton has 20 receptions for 363 yards for an average of 18.2 yards per catch. He also carried the ball 24 times for 158 yards for an average of 7.6 yards per carry and scored two on the ground.

Favorite Colleges: Oregon and Oregon State are said to be close to offering Payton a scholarship and the official offers could come in May. UCLA, USC, Colorado and Colorado State are also very much in the mix. Payton has relatives in Oregon so there is a lot of interest for the two Oregon schools.

Skinny: Payton and his twin brother Jeremy Payton (6-2,180, 4.5) are very athletic bookend corners that more than likely will end up at the same college. So some lucky school is going to score big if they land the Paytons.

“To give you an idea on how athletic Bryan is he never high jumped before and the track coach asked him to come out and try it,” South Hills head coach Steve Bogan said. “He leaped a 6’2’’ high jump at his first meet the first time he tried it.”

Payton is a big physical corner who loves to mix it up. “Bryan will punch you in the mouth,” Bogan said. “He can really bring it and likes to bring too.”

“Both Bryan and Jeremy are pressure players,” Bogan said. “Some kids pray that the play doesn’t go their way in crunch time. Not the Paytons, they want the play to come to them in the pressure cooker. They are just great competitors.”

“Bryan and Jeremy are the perfect corners for today game,” Bogan said. “They have good size and speed. They have size and physicality to take on the larger wide receivers in today’s game and they have the speed to run with the faster, quicker smaller receivers.”

We will a report Jeremy Payton in the very near future.