While most kids his age were still in bed, Payton Stoner awoke at 5 a.m. Sunday morning to catch a flight back to San Diego. On his mind was an important matter he needed to discuss with family, despite feeling like he already knew what he wanted.
At that time, Stoner, a 6-foot-6, 280-pound offensive lineman from Mt. Carmel, was still committed to San Jose State. But a few hours later and a few conversations with family members and a very important talk with Montana recruiting coordinator Justin Green, Stoner flipped his commitment from the Spartans to the Grizzlies.
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“Right when I got off the plane I just felt something in my stomach like a comfortable feeling,” Stoner said Sunday evening. “When I got to campus and got to meet all the coaches and the guys it was an incredible feeling. I felt welcomed and felt I really connected with the guys. It felt like home right off the bat.”
Stoner’s call to Green solidified the future tackle’s spot as the 16th commit in Montana’s 2017 class and the second of three commits the Grizzlies received this weekend. Stoner’s verbal followed that of junior college defensive end Chris Favoroso and preceded by one day the commitment of Dylan Gilfoy, another junior college defensive end who came to Missoula for his official visit along with Stoner.
“I am 100% committed to Montana and am shutting down my recruiting process,” Stoner wrote in a message posted to his Twitter account.
Unlike Favoroso and Gilfoy, who as mid-year transfers can sign their scholarship papers Wednesday, Stoner will have to wait until National Signing Day on Feb. 1 to sign his paperwork. Montana coaches are prohibited by NCAA rules from commenting on players until after they sign with the school.
Stoner began reconsidering his future when San Jose State fired Ron Caragher on Nov. 27 after four losing seasons and a 19-30 record. Stoner originally committed to the Spartans on Nov. 13, but posted a message three days after Caragher was terminated that he was re-opening his recruitment.
Green then came to Stoner’s home for an in-home visit on Dec. 6 and set up the official visit.
Montana first contacted Stoner in the spring when Green, a San Diego prep legend who once owned the city’s career rushing record, stopped into Mt. Carmel to see the sturdy offensive lineman. The conversation between the two went cold through the summer, but picked up September with almost daily texts and social media messages.
That commitment convinced Stoner to hop on a flight and see what Montana had to offer.
“Since Montana is so different from San Diego I really wanted to see it in person to kind of solidify everything,” said Stoner, who is the third offensive lineman head coach Bob Stitt’s staff has plucked from the San Diego area since late 2015.
“Montana was always on the top of my list or very close behind San Jose in the beginning,” added Stoner, who was named a Blue-Grey All-American and was offered by Idaho, South Dakota and Southern Utah.
Stoner was hosted by redshirt freshman offensive lineman Brandon Scott and spent much of his time in Missoula with the younger members of the position group and a few other freshmen. Stoner said he instantly connected with the group.
While he was on his visit, Stoner said Montana “really blew my expectations out of the water,” in a message to Skyline Sports.
Stoner sat out his freshman season after a growth spurt — and what he thinks was a lack of stretching exercises — put serious strain on tendons on his groin that stretched to the point they shaved parts of his pelvic bone off causing a fracture. He then transferred to a private school in south San Diego and played receiver and defensive end before putting on somewhere between 70-75 pounds to play the position coaches told him he was destined for.
“I talked to coach (Chad) Germer, the O-line coach, and he kind of saw me as an offensive tackle,” Stoner said. “They’re kind of thinking of me as a right side tackle right now. Anything can change depending on who comes in and how things go in the season. But right now they’re looking for me to redshirt, which they do with most of their O-linemen, and go in as a right tackle eventually.”
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