Colorado football recruiters are in the market for tailbacks that, as head coach Jon Embree joked recently, “(offensive coordinator) Eric Bieniemy (5-feet-6) can look up to.”
According to , the Buffs have landed one for 2012 that fits that profile.
Davien Payne, a 5-foot-11, 215-pounder from Citrus Hill High School in Perris, Calif., gave an oral commitment to the Buffs on Tuesday, according to the recruiting-based Internet website.
Payne earned all-league honors in 2010 as a junior, rushing for 1,928 yards and 27 touchdowns. He is rated a three-star prospect (out of five) by Rivals.
According to Rivals, Payne also received offers from four other Pac-12 schools: Arizona State, UCLA, Washington and Washington State. He took an official visit to Colorado during the week before the Buffaloes’ August camp began.
Payne’s predecessor at Citrus Hill, tailback Deontae Cooper, is a redshirt freshman at Washington.
“Davien has done a good job of living up to the standard that ‘Coop’ set,” Citrus Hill coach Eric Zomalt told Rivals.
Payne became Colorado’s 10th known commitment for the 2012 recruiting class. He is the second tailback to extend an oral commitment to the Buffs, joining Terrence Crowder (5-10, 212), a two-star prospect from the Galena Park, Texas, near Houston.
Tom Kensler: 303-954-1280 or tkensler@denverpost.com
