Behind the Facemask: Keion Payne

July 28, 2011

CORAL GABLES, Fla.–No dream comes true without sacrifice and these young men have worked to make their dream of playing at the U come true. Here are the men behind the sacrifice…

Keion Payne | Defensive Back | Redshirt Freshman | Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

My favorite thing about being part of the U Family is that it really is a brotherhood. I’ve never been part of an organization where prior members come back and show so much love. Just being around them, it’s fascinating in itself.

I’m afraid of dogs. I’m terrified of dogs. Anyone who knows me back home knows that. It could be a little dog, it doesn’t matter, I still need it caged if I’m around.

When I played football as a kid, I pretended to be Deion Sanders. I always wanted to be one of the fastest kids. When I was real young I played quarterback, so I guess back then I wanted to be Michael Vick too.

Coach Williams is a smart coach. He puts you in the best position to make plays. I feel like he’s the real good defensive backs coach that I’ve never had. Coming from Dillard High School, we didn’t really have a defensive backs coach. I see a lot of good things that Coach Williams is doing.

I never thought I would be playing for the University of Miami. I really thought I would be playing somewhere else. I never knew that Miami would offer me, it’s really a dream come true for me to be here, so I’m thankful for that.

My favorite midnight snack, ever since I was younger, is Tom’s Salt and Vinegar chips, a watermelon Arizona Iced Tea and a Honeybun.

When I was offered a scholarship, I wasn’t really stuck on the idea of being a Miami defensive back. I always thought I was too small to play or wasn’t physical enough. As the recruiting process went along, I knew that this was the place for me. I got better along the way, and I felt that I could make my mark here as a player.

I’m a Hurricane because of the love that I’ve gotten in the past year. When I was being recruited, I went to look at a lot of schools, like Florida, Ohio State, Florida State and Georgia. I didn’t feel the love there like I did down here, there’s so much that keeps you going.

You have to transition quickly in college. It requires you to grow up fast. I played against Travis Benjamin in high school, and I saw how good he was. I can’t lie, the first few practices I was kind of nervous. Once I got that out of the way though I was ready to go.

One player that I model myself after is Eric Berry. He’s been my favorite player ever since I was in high school watching him at Tennessee. I really look up to him as a player. His game speaks for itself. I watch him on YouTube a lot.

One song that no one would believe I have on my iPod is “Take Me Away” by Keyshia Cole.

Becoming a man is a process, and I feel like coming to college is a stepping ground for that. My mom has really been pushing me to become a man. Since I’ve been a kid, she’s hassled me about the things you need to do to become successful, to become a man, and to grow up.

I was raised in the city of Fort Lauderdale. I have two sisters, one older and one younger and I have a younger brother, and then there’s my mom. Those people in my life are who I’m trying to get there for. They’re constantly keeping me going. I love the fact that I have a family as my backbone.

The best advice I was given was from my defensive backs coach in high school, Otis Mounds, who now coaches at Texas Tech. He told me I could always be who I wanted to be. My confidence wasn’t really up when I transferred from Dillard to Saint Thomas, and I was worried that I might not be able to make it coming from a public school. He told me I could be who I wanted to be, I just had to put my mind to it and everything would work out.

It’s shocking to see the NFL players from the U walking past you at first. I look up to Antrel Rolle as a cornerback because of the things he’s done. When I saw him for the first time, I wanted to see how he worked out and to see his work ethic so I could do it myself. There’s no place like this.

South Florida has the best football in America. That’s my opinion. The three counties, Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade have the best football in the nation.

We are all constantly striving to be the best person we can be.

One player on the team I’m close with is Ray-Ray Armstrong. I look up to him as well, because of the things he’s done and the person who he is. I talk to him all the time, so he keeps me humble and keeps me going hard all the time.

I admire my mom and my friends. I say those people because of how they keep pushing me. They keep me on a straight path. I love my mom so much, because she’s one of the people that’s always been there. I can honestly say I have spoken with her every single day of my life.

Legacy is something I want to leave here at the U. In high school, I feel like I left my legacy at Saint Thomas and Dillard, but I want to leave one at the U. Each and every day I go out there and I try to be the best that I can be, so one day I can leave my legacy.

My superstition is that I have to have a towel dangling from the side of my pants every game. It’s been that way since high school. Even at practice, I feel like I can’t go out there without my towel. You can say it’s to look pretty or have some swag, but I don’t go out there without my towel.

My favorite song right now is “Sure Thing” by Lil Wayne.

When I was younger, I was a swimmer. I was real good. I was a real competitor at the AAU level. I started swimming when I was two years old. Most people don’t know that, they would probably laugh at me.

My mom and my aunt didn’t really want me to play football because I’m allergic to grass. It’s crazy. You might see me around here sniffling and sneezing. Right after I’m done with practice is when I can usually feel the allergies, but I don’t think about it while I’m out there. When I was younger, I used to come home and wheeze. I used to have to use a machine when I was younger for it. My mom just wanted me to stay with swimming. I remember once I skipped swim practice and went to football practice and she found out. She came and pulled me off the field and took me to swim practice (laughs).

When I was six years old, me and one of my  friends would go outside and run around the block a few times every night. My mom probably doesn’t know that, but we were out there every night (laughs).

I never knew how good I had it until I came here to the University of Miami. I’m very thankful for being here, I can’t say that enough.

Competition is something I love. I thrive off competition. It’s a big thing for me. I feel like competing with somebody in front of you is the biggest thrill to have on the football field. Just knowing that if you make a play, you have a chance to dance. All I want is to make a play and get the crowd hyped. Competition is a big thing.

Make sure to check in for a new Behind the Facemask profile each and everyday in preparation for the Hurricane football season opener. For a review of all past profiles, check out Behind the Facemask Central.