The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/787035
MARCH 2017 THE WOLVERINE 71 2017 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE MEASURABLES • At Nike's The Opening re- gional camp in New Jersey in 2016, ran a 4.75-second 40-yard dash and a 4.47 20-yard shuttle. Also recorded a vertical jump of 35.2 inches and recorded a power throw of 34.0 feet. STATISTICS • As a senior, Paye notched 65 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks and one pass breakup. He also tallied 44 carries for 651 yards (14.8 yards per carry) and 13 touchdowns. • During his junior season, Paye made 54 tackles with seven hits for a loss and 3.5 sacks, one forced fumble, one fumble re- covery and a blocked field goal. Also rushed the ball 19 times for 244 yards (12.8 yards per rush) and eight touchdowns. • As a sophomore, Paye logged 76 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, four sacks and one forced fum- ble. HONORS • Named the 2016 Gatorade Player of the Year for Rhode Is- land. • A Parade honorable mention All-American as a senior. • Selected the 2016 USA Today Defensive Player of the Year for Rhode Island and named to the publication's All-USA Rhode Island first team for the second straight year. • Providence Journal All-State first-team pick as a junior and senior. ALL-STAR GAMES AND CAMPS • Participated in the Under Armour All-American game and notched a tackle for loss with one quarterback hurry in the contest. • Attended Rivals Camp Series New Jersey in 2016. RECRUITMENT • Paye originally committed to Boston College in December of 2015 while Don Brown was still running the defense in Cherry Hill. • Nine months later, Brown was at Michigan and offered Paye an opportunity to play in Ann Arbor. • Paye officially visited Michigan Oct. 1 for the Wisconsin game and flipped to the Wolverines Oct. 23. • Brown was the key cog in snatching Paye from Boston College. NOTABLE • Born Nov. 19, 1998 in a refu- gee camp in Guinea and immi- grated to the United States with his mother and brother when he was 6 months old. • Named "Kwit y " af ter his grandfather who was killed by rebels in a civil war. • Won the fan vote to play in the Under Armour All-America Game. • His high school has won seven consecutive state champi- onships in Rhode Island. • Was a member of the state champion 4x100 meter relay team. • Won the state championship in the long jump as a junior with a mark of 21 feet, 5 inches. 2016 PROJECTION Paye is an intriguing prospect because he brings a lot of ath- leticism to the defensive line. The unit needs depth in 2017, and that will make room for some youngsters to contribute. Other commits like James Hudson, Luiji Vilain and maybe even Donovan Jeter might appear to be more ready to play as freshmen, but Paye has a knack for getting to the quarterback and is an extremely hard worker who could find his way into a rotation. THEY SAID IT Rivals.com Mid-Atlantic Recruiting Analyst Adam Fried- man: "He's seeing competition in Rhode Island that players in other regions don't even see at the JV level. He's so much better physically than everyone else on the field that he looks like a man among boys on tape. "That being said, he is very physically talented, and it would likely translate to wherever he plays. At a place like Michigan, with coaching from Don Brown, he could really blossom into a special player." Warwick (R.I.) Bishop Hendricken Head Coach Keith Croft: "Kwity does a little bit of everything for us, but his main position is defensive end. We put him at running back and he breaks off big runs. "He has the stuff that you can't really teach — it's a lot of God-given talent. He's one of those freak athletes. He's the state long jump champion, he runs one of the legs of the 4x100 meter relay that won a state championship — he's got it all — speed, size and strength." KWITY PAYE WEAKSIDE DEFENSIVE END 6-4 • 234 BISHOP HENDRICKEN H.S. PROVIDENCE, R.I. RANKINGS STARS NAT. POS. STATE ✪ ✪ ✪ — 35 — ✪ ✪ ✪ — 74 1 ✪ ✪ ✪ — 29 1 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ — 26 (DE) 1 Paye was the consensus No. 1 recruit coming out of Rhode Island in the 2017 class. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM RIVALS.COM MID-ATLANTIC RECRUITING ANALYST ADAM FRIEDMAN "At a place like Michigan, with coaching from Don Brown, he could really blossom into a special player."