The Long Road That Brought Payton Kirkland Back to Birmingham

By Steve Irvine

BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA - March 30, 2026

Expectations followed Payton Kirkland to UAB last summer. Realistically speaking, meeting those expectations was going to take some time.

Now, the expectations were certainly understandable considering Kirkland was highly regarded high school prospect who began his college career at Texas and then spent a season at Colorado. He has the size – 6-foot-6 and 315 pounds – and the natural ability to be considered a candidate to help in the quest to solidify an offensive line that was searching for a rotation at the time.

But the timing of his arrival was difficult.

Kirkland didn’t arrive at UAB until fall camp had started and didn’t get on the field until more than a week had elapsed. He also had been out a school since the close of the fall semester.

“I mean, it was difficult at first,” Kirkland said. “When it comes down to trying to earn a spot, it was one of the harder things to do. But getting around the offensive line and building relationships with everybody around me and trying to bring in the young guys was the biggest thing for me. I'm just glad that I was able to finish the season the way I did.”

He finished the season on the field, playing for the first time against USF and starting the season finale at Tulsa. He played 74 snaps in the win over Tulsa.

“You know, I've been working really hard the last three years, I had a lot of trials and tribulations with injuries and I was too heavy coming into college,” Kirkland said. “There were a lot of setbacks. I just felt like I was very deserving (for the opportunity to play). I kept my head down. I didn't complain all season and I was finally granted with the opportunity in those last two games. I feel like coming into this spring, it gave me an extra boost of confidence. It's the first time I had this type of confidence going into an offseason.”

Kirkland was a standout at Dr. Phillips High in Orlando, Fla., earning All-American honors while playing every position on the offensive line at some points during his four seasons as a starter. He had over 50 offers, according to 247 Sports, and chose Texas as a December enrollee. Kirkland said he weighed in the neighborhood of 380 pounds when he arrived at Texas and was at 365 pounds when spring practice ended. He played at Colorado around 345 pounds.

After leaving in December, he went to Chicago, where he grew up before moving to Florida, and went to work with his trainers. Kirkland wasn’t enrolled in school but had committed to Miami of Ohio at one point. By the time he came to UAB, Kirkland said he weighed around 305 pounds.

His path to UAB began with a relationship he had former with UAB tight end coach Reilly Jeffers when Kirkland was in high school. At the time, Jeffers was at Ohio State and he was involved with Kirkland’s recruitment.

Kirkland said Jeffers reached out to him and offered a spot and an opportunity to compete. Not long after, Kirkland said he was in his truck headed to Birmingham.

“Personally, it wasn't a relationship thing coming out of high school and I feel like that's how I ended up at places that I did previously,” Kirkland said. “But I feel like the longer I'm in it and the older I get, I fully understand and comprehend the game more and understand what goes on behind closed doors and understand what's valuable. So my relationship with Coach Jeffers and how I knew he would love me, how I knew he would take care of me, I knew that that would reflect within the entire staff. That was the reason I could trust myself coming down here.”

Now, Kirkland is looking to cement a spot on the offensive line for head coach Alex Mortensen’s Blazers. He has been working with the first group at left tackle thus far during spring practice and is playing well. He said he is still around 305 pounds but wants to add about 20 pounds by the time the season starts. To get to this point, though, he had to choose UAB for a second time. After last season, he entered his name into the transfer portal.

“I feel like out of the three schools I've been to, I feel like this is probably the place where I can see myself settling down,” Kirkland said. “I pretty much got in there wanting to come back to UAB. And we ended up making it work out. Everything worked out the way it needed to. I'm grateful for Coach Mort for giving me the opportunity and making things work so that I could come back here and be able to give these guys my all and play at the highest level.”

Kirkland said his entire path through football has also helped him get ready for what’s ahead this season.

“I've grown a hell of a lot, I've truly grown into a man,” Kirkland said. “I feel like everything that I've had to walk through, every day that I've had to deal with, all the things I've had to put up with and hardships that I've had to face have really just shaped me into me I am today. And I'm ever changing. Every year, I'm trying to change. Even leading into the last season, I sat down with myself and I told myself, it's 20, 30 things I need to work on as a man to be able to have a family one day and to be the best son I could be, best teammate I could be, the best player I could be.”