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Chartiers Valley senior Lamont Payne is a Penn State recruit who is ranked by Rivals as the No. 5 player in the state in the Class of 2023.
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Premier player series: Char Valley star Lamont Payne a 'Major Payne' for opponents

Pam Panchak/Post-Gazette

Premier player series: Char Valley star Lamont Payne a 'Major Payne' for opponents

On the walls in Lamont Payne’s bedroom hang digital illustrations, pieces of art he created which include drawings of NFL players he idolizes such as Marshon Lattimore, Trevon Diggs and Damar Hamlin.

It’s an example of art imitating life, but if Payne accomplishes his goal of being a professional defensive back like those three, it will be a case of life imitating the art that Payne created.

Payne is a 6-foot-1, 185-pound senior cornerback at Chartiers Valley High School and one of the most highly ranked recruits in the state. Payne’s future likely doesn’t include him being in the Army, Navy or Air Force, but that doesn’t mean he shouldn’t be referred to as “Major Payne” — as in it’s a major pain for opposing players to outmatch him.

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“Lamont is physical and he’s a lengthy corner,” Chartiers Valley coach Aaron Fitzpatrick said. “You don’t see a lot of lengthy corners who are able to run like him. He has great makeup speed and he’s very stout and hard-nosed in his technique.

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“And he’s got a little dog in him, and that’s what makes Lamont, Lamont.”

Payne is the top dog for the Chartiers Valley Colts and also a future Nittany Lion. Last fall, Payne verbally committed to Penn State, choosing the school over a list of other offers that included Pitt, West Virginia, Virginia Tech and Cincinnati. Rivals ranks the four-star Payne the No. 5 player in the state and the No. 222 player in the country overall.

A tall, physical cornerback, Payne likes to lay big hits on opposing players, but he actually once gave up the sport because he said he was getting hit too hard. Payne started playing in first grade, a trial run that lasted only a few practices before he quit.

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“I started complaining, so I only played basketball after that,” Payne said. “But then my dad and I thought I should give it a shot again in eighth grade, and I ended up being pretty good at it.”

So much so that he was already well on the radar of Chartiers Valley’s coaching staff.

“We all knew who he was,” said Fitzpatrick, a first-year head coach who had been an assistant at the school since 2013. “He was smooth, he was mature, he could run and he was athletic. Some of the coaches would say, ‘He’s a dude,’ and ‘He’s a guy that we should keep our eyes on.’”

Payne was actually a defensive end in eighth grade before transitioning to cornerback and wide receiver in ninth grade. He made a sizable impact on both sides of the ball a season ago. Payne was second on the team with 33 catches for 431 yards and seven touchdowns, and despite opponents choosing not to throw the ball to his side of the field much, Payne still finished with 22 tackles on his way to earning all-conference honors.

“I thought he had a solid season,” said Fitzpatrick, who was the receivers coach in 2021. “The thing about his game is he’s continuing to perfect his craft.”

Chartiers Valley lost its final four games to finish 4-6, but with six starters back on both sides of the ball, Payne believes the Colts will have a big turnaround this fall. He dubbed it “playoffs or bust.” It won’t be easy. The Colts just so happen to play in a Class 4A Parkway Conference that includes not one, but two teams that won state titles last season — Aliquippa and Central Valley.

“Those are great programs with top-tier athletes,” Payne said. “Personally, I love the competition.”

That’s a good thing considering he’ll get a lot of that at Penn State. When Payne committed, he became the latest highly recruited defensive back from Western Pennsylvania to choose the Nittany Lions. Joey Porter Jr. (North Allegheny) and Daequan Hardy (Penn Hills) are both expected to start in Penn State’s secondary this season. Jaquan Brisker (Gateway) and Lamont Wade (Clairton) played there in recent seasons.

“It’s very home-like, very professional,” Payne said of Penn State. “Every time I’m up there, it feels right. I was there like five times before I committed, and it just felt like the place to be. It’s amazing.”

Payne has fallen in love with the program so much that he has gone from being recruited to being the recruiter. Since becoming Penn State’s second recruit in the 2023 class, Payne has been actively recruiting other players to join him in Happy Valley via social media and sometimes even in person. This includes local players such as Brashear linebacker Ta’Mere Robinson, the state’s No. 1 senior who committed to Penn State last month. Also on Payne’s wish list are Central Catholic juniors Anthony Speca and Peter Gonzalez and Belle Vernon junior Quinton Martin.

“It’s been fun,” Payne said. “It’s kind of something I took on myself.”

His current coach said he believes future coach James Franklin will be happy with the player he will be receiving.

“I think he’s going to do well,” Fitzpatrick said. “He takes to coaching very well. He has a competitive side. Once you get to that level of football, everyone is out for a spot. I can see him fighting for positions, but getting along with the guys, too.”

Payne comes from a large family. He’s the oldest of six children, the other five all being girls.

“It isn’t that bad,” Payne said, laughing. “They look up to me.”

Sort of like how Payne looks up to players who have achieved a similar goal of reaching the NFL. Payne trains with popular local trainer DeWayne Brown, and through that he has developed relationships and trained with guys like Aaron Donald, Miles Sanders and Hamlin. Payne said he looks up to them, adding that their work ethic has pushed him to work even harder.

And one day, it could be another teen with lofty goals who has art of Payne on a wall in their bedroom.

Brad Ever­ett: bev­er­ett@post-ga­zette.com and Twit­ter @BREAL412.

First Published: August 14, 2022, 9:30 a.m.

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Chartiers Valley senior Lamont Payne is a Penn State recruit who is ranked by Rivals as the No. 5 player in the state in the Class of 2023.  (Pam Panchak/Post-Gazette)
Chartiers Valley's Lamont Payne was an all-conference defensive back his junior season and hopes to lead the Colts to a playoff berth this fall.  (Pam Panchak/Post-Gazette)
Pam Panchak/Post-Gazette
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