Georgia State tight end Aubry Payne will return to play for the Panthers in 2022 after the NCAA granted him a seventh year to complete his eligibility.

Payne, who will turn 25 next October, will be the oldest player ever to suit up for the Panthers, and Georgia State's first seventh-year student-athlete.

He is a two-time All-Sun Belt Conference tight end with 13 career touchdowns in three seasons, the most by a GSU tight end and tied for fourth among all receivers. He has 47 receptions for 541 yards in 34 games in his three seasons at Georgia State.

In 2021 Payne led Panthers with seven touchdown receptions, one shy of the GSU season record. His best game was the TaxAct Camellia Bowl, when he caught eight passes for 109 yards and two touchdowns, all career highs, in the win over Ball State.

The Locust Grove, Ga., native adds another experienced playmaker to a Georgia State offense that returns starting quarterback Darren Grainger, All-Sun Belt running backs Tucker Gregg and Jamyest Williams and four starting offensive linemen.

Payne began his college career at Western Carolina in 2016, when he earned Southern Conference All-Freshman honors. In 2017, he played in just one game due to injury, and then he sat out the 2018 season after transferring to Georgia State.

"This is huge," said Payne, who was surprised by with the news by Associate Athletic Director for Compliance Erik Paz.

"A lot of people put in a lot of time and a lot of work to make this happen, and I want to thank all of them - Coach Elliott, Charlie Cobb, and especially Erik Paz and also Stacey Miller at Western Carolina.

"I wanted to come back to be here for my teammates, because I feel like I can help this team do something that we've never done before," Payne continued. "And I wanted to come back to continue my education and my football career."

Payne earned his undergraduate degree in sociology in December and plans to pursue sport administration in graduate school, with an eye toward coaching in the future.