Miami Hurricanes WR Jeremiah Payton was practice star who never developed

Miami Hurricanes wide receiver Jeremiah Payton announced his entry into the transfer portal on Friday. Payton was a star in practice for Miami who developed beyond that. A 2019 signee, Payton was the 54th ranked player nationally, 10th best WR and nine in Florida. Payton announced his departure from Miami in August.

The initial announcement was that Payton was taking a leave of absence for personal reasons. Payton played in 11 games in his two seasons with the Miami Hurricanes recording six receptions for 58 yards and one carry for seven. Payton initially signed with Miami under former WRs coach Ron Dugans.

Dugans was replaced by Taylor Stubblefield for the 2019 season. Stubblefield left Miami after one season for Penn State. Rob Likens replaced him for the 2020 season when Manny Diaz revamped the offensive coaching staff. Payton chose Miami over several other high-profile schools including Alabama, Clemson, Florida and Georgia.

When Payton initially left in August, the potential for him to return was left open. Now Payton will be seeking to transfer to another program. Payton was the top signee for Miami in 2019. The Hurricanes top defensive signee in the Class of 2019, cornerback Christian Williams also transferred and is now at South Florida.

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At 6’0.5, 185 pounds, Payton has the size at WR the NFL covets. John Garcia Jr. then of 247 Sports projected Payton as a second or third-round NFL Draft pick coming out of high school. Garcia compared Payton to Cincinnati Bengals WR Tyler Boyd. Payton was one of only two WRs Miami signed in the Class of 2019.

K.J. Osborn who was a transfer from Buffalo was the other. Osborn led Miami in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns in his one year with the Hurricanes. Miami should be able to absorb the departure of Payton with a deep WR corps. Losing Payton is another Hurricane who didn’t develop to his full potential.