Pharrel Payne averaged 10.4 points and 5.1 rebounds per game last season.
Maryland men’s basketball landed its first commitment of the offseason Friday, when former Texas A&M forward Pharrel Payne announced on Instagram he is following head coach Buzz Williams to College Park.
Payne played in all 34 and started in 14 of the Aggies’ games this season. On 20.1 minutes per game, the junior averaged 10.4 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game. He played his two best games of the season in the NCAA Tournament, posting 25.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game on just 25.5 minutes per game.
Listed at 6-foot-9 and 250 pounds — nearly the same exact height and weight of Julian Reese — Payne projects to slid into a starting role and mirror the steady production Reese provided over the last four years. Payne operates almost entirely in the paint, as he has not attempted a 3-pointer throughout his college career.
He spent just one season in College Station, Texas, transferring from Minnesota last offseason. During his time with the Gophers, Payne, a former four-star prospect, played in 62 games and averaged 9.1 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game. He now returns to the Big Ten.
After eight players entered the transfer portal earlier this week, Maryland secured a crucial commitment to help bolster a roster currently occupied by two players — Derik Queen and Chance Stephens.