The St. Louis Battlehawks signed defensive tackle Pheldarius Payne on Thursday according to James Larsen.
Pheldarius Payne is six foot three and weighs 275 pounds. The 25-year-old from Suffolk, Virginia, was drafted by the Battlehawks in the third round (21st pick) of the 2024 UFL College Draft.
The Houston Texans signed Payne as an undrafted free agent on May 10, 2024. In 2024, he played two preseason games recording no stats. The Texans released him on September 3, 2024. He later signed with the Indianapolis Colts on December 10, 2024. The Colts released him on May 9, 2025.
Collegiately, Payne played two seasons at Lackawanna College (2018-19) with 22 tackles (14 solos, 8 assists), nine tackles for loss, one sack, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, and one touchdown in seven games for the Falcons.
Next, he was set to head to N.C. State, but flipped his commitment to Nebraska (2020-21). He made 40 tackles (12 solos, 18 assists), five tackles for loss, three sacks, and two pass breakups in 18 games for the Cornhuskers. He was named to the Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll (Fall 2021), the Brook Berringer Citizenship Team (2022), and the Tom Osborne Citizenship Team (2022).
Payne concluded his collegiate career at Virginia Tech. He missed the 2022 season with a Torn ACL. In 2023, he made 31 tackles (10 solos, 21 assists), 10 tackles for loss, four sacks, one pass breakup, and one forced fumble in 13 games for the Hokies.
