UNC commit turned high school program around

North Carolina commit Bryan Payton was more than just a star player in high school. The 5-foot-9, 195-pound running back from Fork Union (Vir.) Military Academy was more like a savior for Concordia Lutheran High School in Fort Wayne, Ind.

"Bryan is probably responsible for turning our program around and making it a successful one," Concordia high school coach Dean Doerffler said. "

In 2002, Payton grabbed a starting job as a sophomore and immediately seemed to be a great fit for Concordia's spread offense. He led the small private school to five victories -- that's more than the program had combined for in the previous four seasons.

Next season, Payton exploded for over 1,600 rushing yards and led the Cadets to a school-record nine wins and their first sectional championship. He ran for a school-record 356 yards in a single game.

In Payton's senior season, the Cadets suffered a handful of key injures but still managed to produce their third straight record of .500 or better, finishing at 5-5.

"Bryan has almost all the school rushing records and was always the fastest football player on the team," Doerffler said. "He is also stronger than most lineman and a very gifted athlete."

Gifted enough to draw comparisons to one of the NFL's top running backs of all-time.

"Bryan isn't very tall, but has good feet and is very fast," Doerffler said. "I would compare him to a Barry Sanders. Obviously, he isn't that good, but he is that type of runner with a low center of gravity and very explosive speed in the hole. He isn't overpowering and relies on quick cuts."

Doerffler also said that the appeal surrounding Payton goes beyond physical gifts.

"I've never had a kid work harder in practice than Bryan," he said. "He has great work ethic and gave the same great effort in each practice.

Doerffler said that a handful of Division I schools, including nearby I-AA program Ball State showed interest in Payton, but academic problems forced him to attend a prep school.

"It seemed like everybody inquired about Bryan, but they knew he wasn't going to be a qualifier right away and would have to go to junior college or a prep program," Doerffler said. "It's not that he isn't intelligent. He just doesn't do some of his work as quickly as others, and our school is a little more challenging academically than most schools."

After starting at running back for Fork Union, one of the top prep programs in the nation, Payton captured the attention of some major D-I programs. According to Doerffler, he received scholarship offers from Clemson and Nebraska and serious interest from Mississippi State. He also reportedly had offers from a handful of Mid-American Conference schools.

Payton verbally committed to UNC last month along with Fork Union cornerback Jermaine Strong. Payton and Strong both played at Kenan Stadium against the Tar Heels' junior varsity in October.

"I really think Bryan will do well in the ACC," Doerffler said. "He has a all the needed tools, the work ethic and he learned a lot of discipline at Fork Union."