Kansas State University Athletics
2025 Football Roster
Payne, VJ
Jersey Number 7
VJ Payne
- Position:
- Safety
- Height:
- 6-3
- Weight:
- 208
- Class:
- Senior
- Hometown:
- Gainesville, Ga.
- High School:
- Buford
Bio
CAREER HONORS
• 2024 All-Big 12 Honorable Mention (Coaches)
2024: Started all 13 games, finishing second on the team with 64 tackles to go along with 3.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions and six total passes defended en route to All-Big 12 Honorable Mention accolades... Saw time on 684 defensive snaps, a figure that ranked third on the team... Forced two fumbles – tallying one at Tulane and one against Kansas, the latter being on the final fourth-down stop of the game... Sealed the victory at Tulane with an interception in the end zone with five seconds remaining, while he had his second pick of the season in the end zone at Colorado... Recorded a pair of double-digit tackle performances during the season as he had a career-high 12 tackles in the regular-season finale at Iowa State and 11 against Arizona State... Set a career high with two passes defended against the Sun Devils... Also broke up passes against BYU and Iowa State, while he had full TFLs against Tulane, Kansas and Iowa State.
2023: Started all 13 games, tying for third on the team with 57 tackles to go along with 3.0 tackles for loss, an interception, four total passes defended and a fumble recovery over his 694 defensive snaps... Tied a career high and tied for 10th in K-State bowl history with 10 tackles in the Pop-Tarts Bowl against NC State, a game that included a sack on a two-point conversion attempt... His effort against the Wolfpack topped a previous season high of six tackles at Oklahoma State and Texas, while he had five tackles apiece against Troy, Kansas and Iowa State... Carded his first-career interception at Texas Tech, a one-handed pick that led to a K-State touchdown on the next play... Recorded TFLs at Missouri, Oklahoma State and Kansas... Recovered a fumble against UCF and had pass breakups against Troy, Houston and Texas.
2022: A true freshman who played in every game with four starts – against South Dakota and Kansas, in the Big 12 Championship against TCU and the Sugar Bowl against Alabama... Started the season opener at free safety, the first Wildcat true freshman to start a season opener since tight end Jeron Mastrud in 2006 and the first on defense since at least 1988... Carded a season high with 10 tackles in the Sugar Bowl – which included his first-career sack – as he tied for 10th in K-State bowl history in tackles... That topped his previous high of eight tackles against Kansas... Also had four tackles in the Big 12 Championship against TCU and two at West Virginia… Saw time on 355 defensive snaps and 85 special teams plays during the season.
HIGH SCHOOL: Played at Buford under head coach Bryant Appling... Rated as a linebacker by 247Sports, which placed him at No. 80 in the Class of 2022... Earned first team all-region honors as a senior when he helped lead Buford to a 14-1 record and a state championship... Also helped lead the Wolves to state championships as a sophomore and junior... Competed in track and field.
PERSONAL: VJ Payne was born March 17, 2004, in Gainesville, Georgia... Son of Tywonna Payne... Has two siblings, Kennedy and Victoria... Majoring in kinesiology.
• 2024 All-Big 12 Honorable Mention (Coaches)
2024: Started all 13 games, finishing second on the team with 64 tackles to go along with 3.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions and six total passes defended en route to All-Big 12 Honorable Mention accolades... Saw time on 684 defensive snaps, a figure that ranked third on the team... Forced two fumbles – tallying one at Tulane and one against Kansas, the latter being on the final fourth-down stop of the game... Sealed the victory at Tulane with an interception in the end zone with five seconds remaining, while he had his second pick of the season in the end zone at Colorado... Recorded a pair of double-digit tackle performances during the season as he had a career-high 12 tackles in the regular-season finale at Iowa State and 11 against Arizona State... Set a career high with two passes defended against the Sun Devils... Also broke up passes against BYU and Iowa State, while he had full TFLs against Tulane, Kansas and Iowa State.
2023: Started all 13 games, tying for third on the team with 57 tackles to go along with 3.0 tackles for loss, an interception, four total passes defended and a fumble recovery over his 694 defensive snaps... Tied a career high and tied for 10th in K-State bowl history with 10 tackles in the Pop-Tarts Bowl against NC State, a game that included a sack on a two-point conversion attempt... His effort against the Wolfpack topped a previous season high of six tackles at Oklahoma State and Texas, while he had five tackles apiece against Troy, Kansas and Iowa State... Carded his first-career interception at Texas Tech, a one-handed pick that led to a K-State touchdown on the next play... Recorded TFLs at Missouri, Oklahoma State and Kansas... Recovered a fumble against UCF and had pass breakups against Troy, Houston and Texas.
2022: A true freshman who played in every game with four starts – against South Dakota and Kansas, in the Big 12 Championship against TCU and the Sugar Bowl against Alabama... Started the season opener at free safety, the first Wildcat true freshman to start a season opener since tight end Jeron Mastrud in 2006 and the first on defense since at least 1988... Carded a season high with 10 tackles in the Sugar Bowl – which included his first-career sack – as he tied for 10th in K-State bowl history in tackles... That topped his previous high of eight tackles against Kansas... Also had four tackles in the Big 12 Championship against TCU and two at West Virginia… Saw time on 355 defensive snaps and 85 special teams plays during the season.
HIGH SCHOOL: Played at Buford under head coach Bryant Appling... Rated as a linebacker by 247Sports, which placed him at No. 80 in the Class of 2022... Earned first team all-region honors as a senior when he helped lead Buford to a 14-1 record and a state championship... Also helped lead the Wolves to state championships as a sophomore and junior... Competed in track and field.
PERSONAL: VJ Payne was born March 17, 2004, in Gainesville, Georgia... Son of Tywonna Payne... Has two siblings, Kennedy and Victoria... Majoring in kinesiology.
K-State FB | Game Highlights vs Army
Saturday, September 06
K-State FB | Postgame Press Conference vs Army
Saturday, September 06
K-State Gameday | FB vs Army
Saturday, September 06
K-State FB | Pregame Hype vs Army
Friday, September 05
