'Burg alum Payton enjoys overseas football stint with Spain's Gijon Mariners

NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...

It can be difficult to pursue a dream away from home, especially when that dream’s being pursued in another continent across the pond.

However, former Wheelersburg alum L.J. Payton has fully embraced the opportunity.

The 6-1 wide receiver, who played wideout at Wheelersburg for two seasons after transferring to Pirate Country from the Pickerington area, spent this past season playing for the Gijon Mariners, a football club that is a member of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Americano, which is overseen by the Spanish Federation of American Football, in its Serie A group.

The opportunity to play professionally and continue pursuing a lifelong dream of ultimately playing back home in a domestic league is one that Payton simply considers a blessing.

“It means more than I can describe,” Payton said. “I’ve been around football my whole life. Football builds characteristics inside of you that stick with you in everything you do. So at the end of the day, I’m really grateful to be able and look back to see the way my experiences with football have helped me grow in life.”

Payton, who began playing the sport at “around six or seven years of age,” grew into a rotating contributor at Wheelersburg at wide receiver. After playing sparingly on the 2018 squad that went to the OHSAA Division V State Semifinals and finished 12-2 overall, Payton ultimately caught seven passes for 82 yards and a score as a senior. Wheelersburg finished Payton’s senior season 8-4.

“We didn’t finish how I would’ve liked, but there were many experiences in my time at Burg that felt like cannon events for my football career,” Payton said. “(Rob) Woodward was one of the best coaches I’ve had, I felt like he took more time to understand me than most coaches would. He always preached about effort, attitude, and toughness. I think that carrying that with me played a key role in helping develop the mindset I need to not only be successful in football but as a young man as well.”

Payton’s size and work ethic proved to be more than enough for teams to give the senior a look. However, it was Ohio Northern who stood out the most — because the Polar Bears were the most willing to work around Payton’s desire to be a nursing major.

A conversation with standout Ohio Northern defensive lineman Jarrett Sitton, a native of Paulding who made 156 tackles, 24 tackles for loss and 14.5 sacks during his four-year career, officially sold Payton on being able to effectively balance his nursing career with football.

“Some programs actually didn’t encourage me to pursue a BSN (Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing) while playing football because of how rigorous it can be and conflicting schedules, but Ohio Northern sold me on the point that they actually had multiple athletes among different sports in the program,” Payton said. “Playing a college sport is something that a lot of people take for granted. No matter what level, being able to continue doing something you love while bettering myself for the future is an opportunity I couldn’t let go by. I talked with Jarrett Sitton. This dude was an absolute beast. I was able to have a good talk with him about balancing nursing with football, and the rest is history.”

It was at Ohio Northern where Payton blossomed. Once a skinny 145-pounder who didn’t see any game action as a true freshman with the Polar Bears, Payton ultimately upped his weight to 160 and became a home-run hitting downfield threat for Ohio Northern’s offense.

Seeing action in 30 games over the final three seasons of his college football career in 2021, 2022 and 2023, Payton caught just seven passes for 21 yards as a sophomore, but upped his production tremendously to 20 catches, 327 yards, two touchdowns and a 16.2-yard-per-catch average in 2022, followed by 24 catches, 366 yards, seven touchdowns and a 15.3-yard-per-catch mark in 2023.

“It was a lot of fun,” Payton said. “I think it helped a lot that I was able to get good reps early into my career there. Freshman season was weird because of COVID but sophomore year i was able to really test the waters. I was in on special teams as a returner and also had a couple packages where I was in on offense. I had some really good receptions and returns towards the end of my sophomore year that spring-boarded me into my junior year. There was more attention on me junior year and I could feel that, so I started training more that offseason. I wasn’t a star player yet but I didn’t mind it, I just knew I had to make the most out of my opportunities. I did exactly that and earned the title as an offensive captain my senior year. This was my breakout year. We got an entirely new coaching staff, and that spring is when I started to carry the load and make key plays for the team.”

During the spring prior to Payton’s senior year, and with graduation approaching the following spring, the entire Ohio Northern football team went to Rome, Naples and Salerno, Italy as well as the Island of Capri in the Bay of Naples.

While in Italy over the spring, Ohio Northern played the Federazione Italiana Di American Football All-Stars on May 28, 2023 in an afternoon game that was played at Ciampino, Italy.

There, Payton stood out, catching two passes for 106 yards with both catches going for touchdowns of 60 and 46 yards as the Polar Bears won by a 79-0 margin.

Following the game, Payton, in a chance conversation with a player from the Federazione Italiana Di American Football All-Stars team, was able to connect himself further regarding potential opportunities to play American football overseas.

The rest ended up being history.

“I got in contact with him after the game and he was telling me about all the opportunities to play football overseas,” Payton said. “Next thing I know, I’m playing in a bowl game in Mexico, and then got signed by Gijon.”

Payton ended up having a productive year for the Mariners.

According to official statistics that were recorded by the Spanish Federation of American Football website, Payton ultimately led Gijon and finished 11th in Serie A with six touchdowns and 36 points scored while being listed as a wide receiver and defensive back for the Mariners. Payton scored at least one touchdown in five games during a six-game stretch for Gijon at one point, including two scores in a 27-12 loss to Osos Rivas on March 28.

Official yards, passing, rushing and receiving, as well as defensive tackles and interceptions, were not kept by the league.

“I believe that the biggest thing I’ve learned is just how adaptable you have to be,” Payton said. “You’re in a completely different country, playing a sport you love, and you have to figure things out as you go. It’s definitely pushed me outside my comfort zone, but I’m really grateful I got the opportunity to experience it. The adjustment to Spain was definitely different at first, especially being away from home, but I really embraced it. It pushed me to become more independent, adaptable, and comfortable being outside my comfort zone.”

Being mere yards from the Atlantic Ocean in a city of approximately 270,000 residents didn’t hurt Payton’s motivation, either.

“My apartment was a 10 minute walk from the beach, so I would always go by the water,” Payton said. “The culture is so much more lively, people are always out and about, there are festivals and events going on almost every week. It was super fun to witness another perspective of life. It also gave me more time to learn about myself. When you have so much free time and nothing to do, you are just left with your own mind to think and explore.”

Payton, who isn’t returning to Gijon in 2027, says that he hopes to play one to two more seasons in Europe. His future aspirations of playing in either the United Football League, Canadian Football League or the National Football League are as strong as they’ve ever before, and Payton is as committed as he’s ever been in an attempt to make that happen.

When Payton hasn’t been playing, he’s been helping with the training of upcoming wide receivers, and within the last month-and-a-half, held his own wide receiver clinic at Kings Athletics in Columbus, a facility that’s located right off of Interstate 670 a few blocks from the Ohio Dominican University campus just east of Downtown Columbus.

“I also have aspirations of coaching for a school once I settle down,” Payton said. “But right now while I’m still playing, it’s important to me that I can show not only myself, but the young guys I train, that achieving success is a mindset. No matter what your situation is, if you learn how to think the right way, then anything is possible.”

His advice to upcoming football players who feel that they are approaching decision time on whether or not to continue their respective football careers?

Don’t stop.

“My advice is pretty relative to everyone, I would say,” Payton said. “There’s going to be a couple things that come into your life in which you are extremely passionate about. It is paramount that you never give up on that passion. No matter how little or how big, there will always be the voices telling you to stop. Keep going. You never know where your passion will lead you, but most importantly, you never know the impact you will have on others along your journey. No matter what your passion is, I can guarantee there is someone out there who loves it just as much as you, and you could be the inspiration they need to keep going, almost like a chain reaction. If everyone gave up, then no one would be successful.”

More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos