UGA Football: Frierson Chats With Payne Walker

Payne Walker has one of those roles that only gets noticed when something goes awry. The Georgia football long snapper is very good at his job, which is why you might not know his name.

A 6-foot-2 and 249-pound redshirt junior from Suwanee, Ga., Walker is in his third season as the No. 2-ranked Bulldogs’ snapper on field goals and extra points; William Mote handles the snapping duties on punts. Georgia is typically very strong in the kicking game and it takes good, consistent snappers to make that possible.

In his heart, Walker said during a Quick Chat on Monday, he wants to be out there on defense, making stops at defensive end like he did back at North Gwinnett High School, where he had 10 sacks his senior year. But he knows that the reason he was able to walk on at Georgia in 2018 and play every game the past three seasons is because of his snapping abilities.

During our Chat, Walker also talked about learning the specialty, writing to-do lists, where he wants to be in 10 years, and much more. Here’s some of what he had to say:

Frierson: How did you get started long snapping?

Walker: It actually started with my cousin, Bradley Terry. He was a walk-on linebacker/long snapper at the University of South Carolina. When I was probably a sophomore in high school, we didn’t really have a long snapper, and he was talking to me. He was like, we have similar builds and you can do this and it would be a way to play more or potentially go to the next level.

He taught me a little bit of the basics, the proper grip and that sort of thing, and then after that, once I got the foundation down, I watched a lot of YouTube videos. I also went to Kohl’s kicking and snapping camp — they do a great job over there of teaching and getting you exposure.

Frierson: How long does it take to get really good and really confident in what you’re doing?

Walker: Honestly, I don’t know if there’s a timetable for perfection. It’s probably the 10,000-hour rule that Malcolm Gladwell has, but I think there’s a point where once you’ve played a certain amount of games, whether that’s high school or college, you start to get comfortable and find a rhythm of when to let go and that sort of thing.

As far as time-wise, I’m still working on it.

Frierson: I wrote a story back in December about Nick Moore, the former Georgia long snapper that made his NFL debut with the Ravens. You never know where a specialized skill like this can take you.

Walker: Nick’s like a father figure to me. He was here my freshman year and he was the old guy. He was like 24 or 25 because he went and played (pro) baseball and came back, so he’s helped me tremendously, not only with snapping but also the mental side of, you have one job, let’s be perfect at our job and not worry about anything else. He really helped me be a consistent snapper and work toward that perfection.

Frierson: What other sports did you play growing up?

Walker: In high school, I wrestled and played football. I played basketball my freshman year, but I didn’t grow much after that. I played baseball for a little while but stopped before high school.

I’ve gotten into golf a lot since coming to college. I feel like that’s a thing that a lot of dudes do. Jake Camarda and I play quite frequently together. But football has been my No. 1 passion since I could walk.

Frierson: How would you describe yourself as an offensive or defensive player in high school?

Walker: I’ve always been more of a defensive personality and player, take special teams out of it. That’s always been my favorite — I love hitting people. A lot of people don’t know that about me, that defense is my passion. Friday walkthroughs or even at practice, I really watch the defense because it’s so interesting to me.

Frierson: What’s something you could eat every day and never get tired of it?

Walker: My mom’s chicken and dumplings, for sure. Another one would be eggs in general, especially omelets. I love only egg whites and spinach omelets. That’s what I’ve had for breakfast for the last six months or so. I’ve grown fond of it but it’s also healthy.

Frierson: Do you have a creative side? Is there anything creative you do or wish you could do?

Walker: I can dabble in guitar but I’m not very good. I always liked writing. Every day I wake up and I have a little notebook, and I write every day. Whether that’s Scripture or to-do lists or general thoughts, I do that every day. It helps me center my focus on that day and be in the present, versus having my mind everywhere.

Frierson: When did you start doing that?

Walker: I started consistently writing every day during fall camp, but I did it last semester in the springtime but I wasn’t as consistent with it. I would write to-do lists and that sort of thing — I’m a huge fan of lists and organization. Now, if I don’t do it I’m a little upset with myself. …

It’s more daily general thoughts that I’m thinking of. It could be something as simple as remember to take your clothes to the dry cleaners, or it could be something way more in-depth than that.

Frierson: Speaking of clothes, how are you when it comes to the Dawg Walk? Do you get really into dressing up for what’s almost like a red carpet event?

Walker: [Laughs] I’m pretty standard with what I wear. I think that’s probably the inner long snapper in me, staying behind the scenes. We have some guys that wear unbelievable outfits but I am very standard with what I wear. If I get crazy, I’ll wear a different pattern blazer or something, but I stick with the navy or the grey, nothing too eccentric.

Frierson: In a perfect world, what are you doing in 10 years?

Walker: Ten years, that’s a long time — I’ll be 32. I would like to be a husband and a father, and an executive of a hospital. I’m actually applying right now to get my master’s degree in Health Administration here. It’s a two-year program, so 10 years from now to be an executive of a hospital is a very high expectation but I do think it’s possible.

Frierson: That’s a very specific goal. How did you get on that path?

Walker: Healthcare is something that everybody needs but nobody wants, and I think the idea of building personal relationships in a field that’s so commonly needed in the world, it’s always been something that interested me.

My dad works in healthcare, my uncle owns a personal injury clinic in Jacksonville (Fla.), so just being around healthcare growing up and seeing this May when I went and interned with my uncle, that kind of solidified that this is something I want to do because of helping people in the community as well as those relationships that you get to build.

(This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.)

Assistant Sports Communications Director John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men’s Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files. He’s also on Twitter: @FriersonFiles and @ITAHallofFame.