Georgia’s Christian Payne enjoys craziness of fullback position

ATHENS -- To be a fullback requires just a little bit of crazy.

A fullback’s job, essentially, is to hit the hole before the running back and use his body as a battering ram, matching up against a linebacker to help get the running back to the second level of the defense.

Luckily for Georgia, sophomore Christian Payne -- a former walk-on linebacker turned fullback -- is just a little crazy.

“It’s a great fit,” Payne said. “I like to hit people, I like contact.”

For Payne, that eagerness for contact nearly resulted in tragedy during the first scrimmage the preseason. On a typical run up the middle, Payne got his left leg rolled over, resulting in a “small crack” -- something between a hairline fracture and a true break -- in his left fibula.

“It was kind of the typical offensive lineman injury; you see those guys get rolled up on their knee, so someone just pretty much leg whipped me around, hit me in the leg,” Payne said. “I didn’t think it was broken at first. I thought I was good to play with it, walk it off, but as it went on, it felt worse and worse.”

The recovery time was diagnosed as four to six weeks. Because of the size of the fracture, there was nothing doctors could do to aid Payne other than just let it heal on its own.

So for four weeks, Payne did nothing, meaning his return to the Georgia starting lineup has been a process. But now, he says the limitations are off.

“When I first started back, it was a little, I don’t know, with four weeks off of not doing full-speed reps, it kind of had a little bit of effect on me a little bit just as far as not hitting people,” Payne said. “Just trying to get back in the groove was a little bit different, but as time went on, it got better.”

With the proliferation of the spread offense at both the college and professional level, the fullback position is one that has had its role diminished. Thirteen NFL teams started the season without a fullback on their roster, and just one, Green Bay, had two.

But for Georgia, a team that still likes to run the ball between the tackles, the fullback is a pivotal and underappreciated aspect of the offense, making Payne’s return an important one.

“I think it’s probably a little bit of a lost art form in college football,” senior tackle John Theus said. “We have some guys that can play it pretty well. Having those guys get on blocks is just as big as an offensive lineman, it’s just an extension of us, and to have those guys back there that can execute is huge.”

The Georgia running backs have made their appreciation for those big blockers known, too.

“I just believe that the fullback needs more credit than it’s given,” sophomore running back Sony Michel said. “It’s almost like another offensive lineman but more skill for an offensive lineman that’s making the big plays happen.”

“I appreciate them,” sophomore running back Nick Chubb said. “They’re very important. They’re just as good as the linemen up front. They do a good job of getting the linebackers out of the way, which makes it a lot easier.”

Against Vanderbilt, Payne was able to get his first game action after not dressing against Louisiana-Monroe. Although Quayvon Hicks got the start at fullback, he and Payne alternated series.

Since then, Payne has worked with the first-team at practice and has a chance to start against South Carolina.

Although Hicks is a more than competent replacement for Payne at fullback, the nature of the position means that having just one, or even two, isn’t always enough. Just last season, Georgia had Merritt Hall suffer a career-ending concussion, which was followed by an injury to backup Taylor Maxey that resulted in Payne playing in seven games and starting one last season despite starting the season fourth on the depth chart.

“Quayvon is a great player, so it’s good to have two fullbacks in there,” Payne said. “You always know that you can just lay it all on the field and everything, and you know that if you get tired, you’ve got another fullback that can come and get you.”

And that’s an important aspect to Payne’s game. His work ethic, mixed with just a little bit of crazy, is what earned the one-time walk-on his chance to excel.

“I just came in with the mindset just to work hard, I’m going to give it my all and maybe I’ll get my shot one time,” Payne said. “Just getting my shot now is pretty awesome.”

This story was originally published September 17, 2015 at 7:58 PM with the headline "Georgia’s Christian Payne enjoys craziness of fullback position ."