After competing the past two seasons in the Southeastern Conference’s Western Division, JaVonta Payton has decided to use his final year of football eligibility in the SEC East.
Payton, a Mississippi State receiver the past two years who began his college career at Northwest Mississippi Community College, announced Wednesday afternoon on social media that he will play the 2021 season at Tennessee. The 6-foot-1, 180-pounder is a former all-state selection at Nashville’s Hillsboro High School.
“I was always meant to be home,” Payton posted on Twitter.
In 21 career games with the Bulldogs, Payton amassed 28 receptions for 372 yards and a touchdown. Most of that output transpired last season, when he racked up 19 catches for 225 yards and the score.
Payton opened last year with a six-catch, 122-yard performance in Mississippi State’s 44-34 upset win at LSU, and his touchdown occurred the following week during a home loss to Arkansas.