Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 3 games
| Wk | Opp | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | L 0-45@ Penn State | 8 | 55 | 6.9 | 0 | 11 | Season-high 55 yds |
| Wk 2 | W 28-26vs Middle Tennessee | 1 | 6 | 6.0 | 0 | 6 | |
| Wk 3 | W 30-24@ Missouri State | 2 | 23 | 11.5 | 0 | 18 | |
| Total | 11 | 84 | 8.1 | 0 | 18 |
#81
Toby Payne
Senior tight end for Marshall. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
6′4″ · 237 lb · Poca, WV · Poca
CFB Index 61 · #40 of 156 TEsMedium-low confidence
CFB Index
A single number blending on-field production (an EPA-based value lane) with box-score output for this player's position.
0-100, scaled within each position's own cohort — not directly comparable across positions.
The numbers
84
receiving yards · 2026 · through week 3
3 games into 2026 so far
Swing playSwung Marshall from 41% to 69% to win.Marshall at Missouri State · 30-24
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Senior tight end for Marshall. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
- Signed as a 2-star recruit to Marshall in 2021.
How he plays
Shows up in the passing game from any alignment.
Rec TDs: 15th percentile.
The full scouting readToby Payne
Shows up in the passing game from any alignment. Toby Payne has been at Marshall through two head coaches in four seasons. In 2025 the league put his name on paper for the first time: All-Sun Belt. The receipt on tape: 55 rec yds, 8 receptions against Penn State, Week 1, 2026.
84 REC YDS · 11 REC · 0 REC TD
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- positional archetype classification
- head-coach lineage
- recognition record
- game log
His career
Nobody recruited him. He earned the honors anyway.
The week the volume broke through — stacked 2 td at Middle Tennessee.Middle Tennessee · W 42-282025
2021
- Signed with Marshall2-star out of Poca
2022
- Signed with Marshall3-star out of Poca
202511 games
The role got bigger.
- All-Sun Beltfirst
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★
CFB
College
Marshall
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Trophy case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
🥈
ALL-SUN BELT · 1ST TEAM
All-Sun Belt 1st team (2025)
Coaching lineage · 2022–2026
2 coachesCoaching transition mid-career: Charles Huff → Tony Gibson. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
Career stats
Game log
Game by game
Toby Payne's 2026 production
Point color shows the opponent's defensive strength that week (red = weaker defense, blue = stronger) — dashed line is this player's own season average.
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 3 · 2026
W 30–24
2 rec · 23 yds
A wire-to-wire battle — won by 6 on the road.
With C. Del Rio-Wilson — 176 yds · 1 TD · 0 INT · QBR 47.6 · 73 rush yds (16 car) · 1 TD · T. Lester — 27 rush yds (4 car)
Signature plays
Signature plays · top plays by |EPA|
The plays that mattered most
- Week 1 · Penn State · 3&9 · Q2 · EPA +2.73No Huddle-Shotgun #7 C.Del Rio-Wilson pass complete short middle to #81 T.Payne caught at PSU43, for 11 yards to the PSU39 (#10 C.Bacon), 1ST DOWN
- Week 1 · Penn State · 2&5 · Q3 · EPA +0.93No Huddle-Shotgun #7 C.Del Rio-Wilson pass complete short middle to #81 T.Payne caught at MAR36, for 7 yards to the MAR37 QB hurried by #10 C.Bacon (#9 C.Brezina), 1ST DOWN
- Week 1 · Penn State · 1&10 · Q2 · EPA +0.93No Huddle-Shotgun #7 C.Del Rio-Wilson pass complete short left to #81 T.Payne caught at MAR44, for 10 yards to the MAR49 (#5 D.Dixson), 1ST DOWN
- Week 1 · Penn State · 2&4 · Q2 · EPA +0.89No Huddle-Shotgun #7 C.Del Rio-Wilson pass complete short middle to #81 T.Payne caught at MAR38, for 8 yards to the MAR39 QB hurried by #9 C.Brezina (#7 Z.Tracy), 1ST DOWN
- Week 3 · Missouri State · 2&7 · Q2 · EPA +0.57(11:13) Shotgun #7 C.Del Rio-Wilson pass complete short right to #81 T.Payne caught at MSU15, for 18 yards to the MSU12 (#33 A.Mattison), 1ST DOWN
- Week 1 · Penn State · 2&4 · Q1 · EPA +0.50No Huddle-Shotgun #7 C.Del Rio-Wilson pass complete short right to #81 T.Payne caught at MAR22, for 6 yards to the MAR29 (#3 J.Patton), 1ST DOWN
- Week 1 · Penn State · 1&10 · Q1 · EPA -0.30No Huddle-Shotgun #7 C.Del Rio-Wilson pass complete short right to #81 T.Payne caught at MAR23, for 3 yards to the MAR28 (#8 K.Ebel)
- Week 2 · Middle Tennessee · 2&11 · Q1 · EPA +0.14(08:44) No Huddle-Shotgun #7 C.Del Rio-Wilson pass complete short left to #81 T.Payne caught at MAR28, for 6 yards to the MAR30 (#21 J.Hardy)
- Week 3 · Missouri State · 1&10 · Q2 · EPA +0.11(14:07) No Huddle-Shotgun #7 C.Del Rio-Wilson pass complete short right to #81 T.Payne caught at MAR43, for 5 yards to the MAR46 (#29 C.Ford)
- Week 1 · Penn State · 2&10 · Q2 · EPA +0.07No Huddle-Shotgun #7 C.Del Rio-Wilson pass complete short right to #81 T.Payne caught at PSU37, for 5 yards to the PSU34, out of bounds at PSU34
2026 snapshot
Since week 2: +23 receiving yards, +2 catches.
Season context · Team result + system
2022Marshall9-4HC: Charles Huff · Run-heavy
2024Marshall10-3HC: Charles Huff · Run-leaning
2025Marshall5-7HC: Tony Gibson · Run-leaning
2026Marshall2-1HC: Tony Gibson · Run-leaning, slow tempo
Where this profile ranks vs the TE cohort
Box-score percentiles
Medium-low confidence
Concern: rec yards (0th percentile).
Box-score rates (5)
Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score rates.
Receiving profile
Receiver profile · Targets, catch rate, and throw depth
How often he's targeted, and how well it works
11 of 11 receptions matched to play-by-play
16 of 16 targets charted for true throw depth
Targets
1621% of team targetsCatch rate
69%11 of 16 targetsBehind LOS · Negative air yds
12% of targets (2)
100%catch rate
Air -1.5 · YAC 6.0 avg
Short · 0–9 air yds
69% of targets (11)
73%catch rate
Air 4.3 · YAC 2.4 avg
Middle · 10–19 air yds
12% of targets (2)
50%catch rate
Air 16.0 · YAC 3.0 avg
Deep · 20+ air yds
6% of targets (1)
0%catch rate
Air 39.0 avg
69% catch rate on 16 targets · 21% of the team's targets.
Splits & context
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 3 games
Home vs Road
| REC/g | YDS/g | YPR | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home1g | 1.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 0.0 |
| Road2g | 5.0 | 39.0 | 9.2 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| REC/g | YDS/g | YPR | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-73g | 3.7 | 28.0 | 8.1 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Tony Gibson
Pass share
43.0%
77 pass / 102 run
Plays / game
59.7
3 games
Team sack rate
3.5%
85 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning, slow tempo.
Awards
Player standing · 2026
Backup
On the two-deep and pushing for snaps.
Recognition
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
2026 outlook
In the mix to repeat All-Sun Belt
Based on 2025: #1 of 16 Sun Belt TEs
How the All-Sun Belt estimate is computed
49% estimated, 95% confidence interval 43–54%. Base rate measured from players who finished at a comparable rank in their conference and came back the next season. It is an estimate from a small sample, not a forecast of this player.
How he plays
Play style
No single go-to route — the receiving numbers show up inline and split out alike.
CFB Index positional classification
Starter
The No. 2,485 recruit in the country is starting at tight end in the Sun Belt as a senior.
DNA match
Player DNA
Complete TE
No single go-to route — the receiving numbers show up inline and split out alike.
TE
His 2026 production profile sits closest to Cethan Carter’s 2016 season.
Matches Cethan on
Reception volume
TD rate
Height
Through 3 college seasons, his career arc tracks closest to Camm McDonald’s path through Florida State.
Matches Camm on
Height
Yards per reception
Weight
As a senior, his production profile tracks closest to Jordan Murray's senior season at Hawai'i (2022).
Matches Jordan on
Yards / reception
Total EPA (college ability)
Weight
Player DNA
Players who play like Toby Payne
Background
R-SOPHOMORE SEASON (2024): Played in 13 games, starting 11 at tight end for the Herd. Caught 17 passes for 168 yards and 6 TDs for the Herd while also being a key blocker for the top-20 rushing attack and a key blocker on the kickoff return unit, which ranked as one of the nation's best. Caught…
The tight end room · Marshall
- #81Toby Payne387 receiving yards · 2025
- #85Tracy Stephens18 receiving yards · 2025
- #80Shawn Rouseno box-score line yet
- #86Brandon Hettwerno box-score line yet
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology