Dallas Payne News, Rumors, Updates - Florida International Panthers | FOX Sports

Leaving FIU Payne will enter the transfer portal, per On3.

Impact Payne had the best season of his career in 2025 with FIU, reeling in 27 catches for 293 yards and four touchdowns as the Panthers' top tight end. Payne, a former UAB Blazer, will now look for a new home with one season of eligibility remaining. The 6-foot-4, 250-pound tight end should have a handful of Power Four suitors.

DECEMBER 29, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

McCown, Henderson lead UTSA's 57-20 rout of Florida International at First Responder Bowl

Owen McCown threw three touchdown passes, Will Henderson III scored three times, and UTSA defeated Florida International 57-20 at the First Responder Bowl

DECEMBER 27, 2025 • Associated Press

Jenkins throws for 3 TDs, runs for another and FIU beats Sam Houston 56-16 in regular-season finale

Keyone Jenkins threw for three touchdowns and ran for another to lead Florida International to a 56-16 win over Sam Houston in a regular-season finale Saturday

NOVEMBER 29, 2025 • Associated Press

100 yards and a TD Payne had four catches for 100 yards and a score against Sam Houston Saturday.

Impact The tight end came into this game with 166 yards on the season, so this was a bit of a surprise. Payne, a UAB transfer, stepped right into the role of top tight end, but like many offenses in college football his role was tertiary.

NOVEMBER 29, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

Catches TD Payne caught two passes for 37 yards and a score versus MTSU on Saturday.

Impact That's back-to-back games with a touchdown for the tight end. However, Payne only has 14 catches on the season, and those are his only two touchdowns.

NOVEMBER 9, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

Pesansky accounts for 5 TDs as FIU beats Middle Tennessee 56-30

Joe Pesansky accounted for five touchdowns as Florida International beat Middle Tennessee 56–30

NOVEMBER 8, 2025 • Associated Press

Catches TD Payne caught two passes for eight yards and a score Wednesday versus Missouri State.

Impact This is notable because Payne broke his hand just two weeks ago and had surgery. He only ended up missing one game and returned to catch a TD. That being said, Payne's play hasn't been notable, as he has 84 yards receiving on the season.

OCTOBER 30, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

Fractures hand Payne suffered a fractured hand and underwent surgery Thursday, Kevin Barral of SI.com reports.

Impact Payne transferred to FIU last offseason, and he caught 10 of his 15 targets for 76 yards and no touchdowns across six games. However, he fractured his hand and underwent surgery. A timeline for return is unknown, but he can be considered out indefinitely. Jackson Verdugo should see more snaps while Payne is sidelined.

OCTOBER 16, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

Lands with FIU Payne (transfer portal) committed to FIU on Tuesday, Kevin Barral of SI.com reports.

Impact Payne put up nearly identical numbers over his last two seasons with UAB, totaling 35 receptions for 382 yards and a touchdown. He'll look to get situated with his new offense ahead of the 2025 campaign.

JANUARY 1, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

Enters transfer portal Payne has announced his decision to leave UAB and enter the NCAA transfer portal.

Impact Payne will depart from UAB after spending the last four seasons with the Blazers. The 6-foot-4 redshirt junior tallied 17 receptions for 192 yards and one touchdown during the 2024-25 season.

DECEMBER 14, 2024 • ROTOWIRE

Breaks out Saturday Payne had six receptions (on eight targets) for 67 yards during Saturday's 35-25 loss to South Florida.

Impact Payne recorded season highs across the board Saturday as he caught six of eight targets for 67 yards. He came into the game with five catches for 54 yards through six games, so this performance truly came out of nowhere. He was helped by Jalen Kitna attempting a whopping 56 passes, volume that likely won't happen again this season.

OCTOBER 21, 2024 • ROTOWIRE

Catches TD Saturday Payne reeled in 3 of 5 targets for 33 yards and one touchdown during Saturday's 37-27 loss to Arkansas.

Impact Payne caught his first career touchdown Saturday, a 21-yard reception in the fourth quarter. He also was tied for second on the team with five targets and caught three passes for the first time since Week 11 last season. After a bye week, he will look to build off of this performance with the conference opener versus Navy.

SEPTEMBER 16, 2024 • ROTOWIRE