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Ohio State Buckeyes College Football Recruiting, OSU Big Ten Football, OSU Basketball - Bucknuts.com

Report: Payne Knocks Out Buckeyes
Posted by Jeff Rapp on Jul 25, 2009 at 12:00 am

It appears that Dayton Jefferson senior-to-be Adreian Payne has finally found a moment of clarity with his recruiting and in the process has eliminated Ohio State from contention.

A highly coveted 6-10 center with shot-blocking ability, impressive athleticism and developing offensive skill, Payne could have added richly to an Ohio State 2010 class that already is considered the top haul in the country.

Instead the top-20 prospect told his hometown paper, the Dayton Daily News, that he plans to go to a school from out of state, thereby wiping Ohio State, Dayton, Xavier and Cincinnati off the board.

In a story released online late Friday evening, Payne told DDN that he was now considering just five schools: Kansas, Kentucky, Arizona, Michigan State and West Virginia.

"I know a lot of people in Dayton, and I want to be focused on school without a lot of distractions," Payne said by phone from Orlando between games in an AAU tournament.

"I like the (UD) players a lot. Chris (Wright) is my cousin and everything. It was a tough decision. ... I don't know where I want to go, but I just feel it was too close."

Payne added, "I'm pretty solid with my decision."

Continued...