Patrick Payton
Patrick Payton
Holds up snap after snap without a weakness to attack. Across four seasons and two programs, two head coaches: Mike Norvell and Brian Kelly. The receipt: 5 tackles against Ole Miss — Week 5, 2025.
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- positional archetype classification
- head-coach lineage
- game log
Career Arc
Coaching Lineage · 2022–2025
1 coachPlayed his entire career under Brian Kelly.
2025 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
Splits & context
Supporting Cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Lane Kiffin
Awards
Player Standing · 17 rungs
Tier 2 · StarterR05 · Part-time starter
Part-time starter. Tackle volume for the position in part-time-starter range.
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | LSU | 33 | 17 | 4.5 | 1.0 | 6 | -- | -- |
| 2024 | Florida State | 32 | 16 | 10.0 | 4.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2023 | Florida State | 43 | 28 | 13.5 | 6.0 | 9 | -- | -- |
| 2022 | Florida State | 30 | 21 | 6.0 | 5.0 | 3 | -- | -- |
| Career | 138 | 82 | 34.0 | 16.0 | 18 | -- | -- |
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 1 · 2025
W 17–10
at Clemson
1 SOLO · 1 TOT
A wire-to-wire battle — won by 7 on the road.
How he plays
Play style
No single standout number, but nothing missing either — competent across the board.
CFB Index positional classification
2026 Outlook
LSU
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Defensive end · LSU
Returning around him
- 7 LSU players drafted to NFL
- Transfer portal: +0 net (41 in / 41 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
LSU · Last season: 7-6 (AP #20) · Talent rank #6 · 2026 recruiting class #11
DNA match
Player DNA
Versatile End
No single standout number, but nothing missing either — competent across the board.
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Cam Williams’s 2025 season.
Matches Cam on
Differs from Cam on
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a senior, his production profile tracks closest to Matt Harmon's senior season at Kent State (2024).
Matches Matt on