In January of this year, D’Andre Payne announced on Twitter that he would be transferring from Tennessee to Maryland. Four months later, it appears the defensive back will be leaving College Park without ever having played a down for the Terps.
While the school has yet to confirm it, Don Markus of the Baltimore Sun is reporting that Payne has decided to leave Randy Edsall‘s football program. According to Markus, Payne will be transferring to an unspecified junior college.
Even if Payne had stayed with the Terps, he wouldn’t have been eligible to play in 2015 as he’d have had to sit out the season to satisfy NCAA transfer rules.
A four-star member of UT’s 2014 recruiting class, Payne was rated as the No. 18 cornerback in the country; the No. 2 player at any position in Washington D.C.; and the No. 230 player overall according to Rivals.com. Only five players in UT’s class that year were rated higher than Payne.
As a true freshman for the Vols, Payne played in eight games and registered four tackles.