Kickoff countdown: Who wore it best? #87

UGASports is counting down the days until the Bulldogs’ 2024 season opener. For each day in our countdown, we will reveal our opinion of the best player in Georgia football’s history to wear that particular jersey number.

With 87 days before kickoff, UGASports selects Jimmy Payne as the best Georgia player to wear jersey number 87.

Position: Defensive Tackle/Linebacker

Hometown (High School): Athens, GA (Cedar Shoals)

Height/Weight: 6-4, 243

Lettered: 1978-1982

Stats: 256 tackles, 28 sacks, 13 other tackles for loss, 10 passes broken up, and 8 forced fumbles in 43 games.

Career: A native of Athens, Payne is one of the few players to letter for more than four seasons at Georgia. As a true freshman in 1978, he totaled 45 tackles and a team-high eight sacks as a reserve. Moving to linebacker the next season, he made 29 tackles in just over two games before suffering a season-ending injury and was redshirted (but lettered). Returning to defensive tackle, Payne combined to total 19 sacks and eight other tackles for loss in 1980 and 1981. Despite missing four entire games due to injury as a fifth-year senior in 1982, he was named first-team All-SEC for the third consecutive season and was the lone defensive tackle chosen to the Walter Camp First-Team All-American squad. To date, Payne remains one of only nine Georgia football players in history to earn first-team all-conference honors in three or more seasons. His 28 career sacks were a school record for a dozen years while his eight career forced fumbles remain an unofficial school record. Selected by the Buffalo Bills, Payne was a fourth-round pick of the 1983 NFL Draft.

#87 Honorable Mention: End- Billy Payne (1966-1968); TE- Troy Sadowski (1985-1988); End- Pat Hodgson (1963-1965); TE- Larry Brown (1995-1998)