Inside Jaylen Sneed's Unbreakable Bond with High School Coach BJ Payne
There are moments in life you never forget.
For football players, it’s the first time they scored a touchdown, laid someone out or even their welcome to college football moment.
Perhaps what gets lost in the shuffle at times is the people who helped get them through tough times or pushed them to become men, even if one’s career ended on a high school field.
Notre Dame linebacker Jaylen Sneed has one of those coaches in his corner.
Hilton Head (S.C.) head coach BJ Payne saw something in a skinny freshman and set the path for Sneed to become one of the nation’s best football players coming out of high school.
“I feel like he cares so much,” stated Sneed. “He’s just a really caring person. He really wants to see people go to the next level and see people succeed. That’s his greatest quality. He knows how to put people in a position to succeed.
“Coach Payne told me my freshman year that I could be really great if I put in the work and trusted in him. He said I could be as good as I wanted to be.”
Payne has seen what success looks like as he played college ball national powerhouse Massillon High School (Ohio) before heading to Division III powerhouse Mount Union (Ohio).
In his early days of coaching following a brief career in the WWE, Payne joined the staff at Canton Glen Oak (Ohio), where he helped coach Mike and Brian Hartline.
There’s a long line of success following Payne, which means he’s been successful with various types of kids in very different situations.
“He’s been everywhere,” explained Sneed. “He grew up in Ohio and went to college in Ohio. He’s branched out and he lives in Hilton Head now. We have such a diverse community and he can get along with everybody, but also teach everybody.”
The ability for Payne to build trust within his programs is the key. It doesn’t matter if you’re Jaylen Sneed or the third string cornerback. Payne is going to push each kid the exact same as he knows whatever lessons they take from their time with him can and will benefit them later.
For Sneed, Payne was simply there for him. As a high school star, Sneed had the talent to play Power 4 football, but needed guidance to steer him in the right direction.
“He’s always been a father figure for me growing up with a single mom,” said Sneed. “My dad lived a couple hours away. He’s always been that figure to keep me out of trouble. He’s made sure I’m doing the right things on the football field and made sure I kept my grades up. I believe that’s a big reason why I’m at Notre Dame today. He pushed me to be the best that I could be.”
Sneed’s first offer came from Cincinnati and Marcus Freeman as Payne brought him to Ohio for camp. COVID then happened, so much of Sneed’s recruitment didn’t allow for in-person visits. Payne shined as he was able to guide Sneed through an impossible process, but also take him to schools to walk around even if they couldn’t meet the staff.
“He was really a part of the recruiting process,” Sneed stated. “I have that trust factor in him and I can tell him anything, it just helped so much more with being comfortable knowing he’s been around the block.”
Payne also isn’t afraid to give some tough love when it’s needed. Hilton Head was about to play a scrimmage and Payne wasn’t going to play his star player, but did for one play. Sneed hit the quarterback, which isn’t allowed and Payne yanked him and then made him run when the team returned home.
It’s a funny moment now, but it’s one that both believe was a turning point in their relationship as Sneed saw his coach was going to hold him to a specific standard regardless of how many offers he earned.
“One time in high school, we were at a scrimmage, and he said I wasn’t going to play, but he let me in for one snap,” Sneed recalled. “I killed the quarterback. He was yelling, “You’re never going to play again. Why would you do that?’
“He got on me on hard. He really cared about me. He didn’t want me to get hurt. He wanted everyone to have fun.”
The relationship didn’t drop off when Sneed enrolled at Notre Dame. Payne makes his way to as many Notre Dame games as he can, which includes the last two playoff games, and that means the world to Sneed.
“I feel it’s not about that,” Sneed said of the summer workouts Payne still puts him through. “It’s better when he comes to the games. I know he’s behind me and supporting me. He’s been there the whole time. I’m doing it for him too. It makes it so much more special. He’s here this week and he came to see me last night. It felt good to see a familiar face.”
Sneed isn’t the first and won’t be the last big-time player Payne has developed and mentored. Los Angeles Chargers defensive tackle Poona Ford also came from the Hilton Head program and Payne makes sure the NFL veteran is a constant presence around the community with his summer camp.
The All-American Football Camp isn’t just Ford and Sneed, but Payne leans into the relationships he’s built through the years. Last year alone, Payne had star players from Coastal Carolina, East Carolina, Georgia, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State and Tennessee come to be camp counselors, which means the world to Sneed and the Hilton Head community.
“I feel it’s great,” said Sneed. “He has the camp I go to now. It’s great for the kids from that area to be able to see people were in their shoes and they grew up to do something. Not everyone from my area gets to go be a Division I athlete. It’s good to know it’s a possibility rather than it looks like it’s the only one percent.”
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