You may remember 6-2, 320-pound sophomore defensive tackle Da'Ron Payne from one of the numerous videos featuring his freakish strength he exhibited as a freshman. Well whether you remember him or not you soon won't likely forget Payne as it appears he has put himself in a place, through hard work and practice, to step up and start along the defensive line for the Tide in 2016.
"We've tried to improve him a little bit as a pass rusher so he could be a good inside player for us, and I think he's done that," Saban said, "so he gives us another inside player that we can play, which I think is critical based on the guys that we lost. ... Da'Ron has done a nice job and had a really good camp."
Payne has left a good impression with his fellow teammates as well.
"He's explosive. You already know that," redshirt senior defensive lineman Dalvin Tomlinson said. "He's been working hard just like the rest of the D-linemen have. He's been progressing across the board in pass rushing. He's doing pretty good so far."
The Tide are looking to replace star defensive lineman Jarran Reed and A'Shawn Robinson who both left for the NFL, hopefully Payne can help fill their shoes.
