 By his senior season, he was one of the most coveted players in the nation, with Kentucky and UCLA recruiting him.On June 9, 1969 the high-school All-American signed with Kentucky; he was not only the tallest player ever to play at the school, he was also legendary coach Adolph Rupp's first-ever African-American player.Touted as "another Lew Alcindor" (the player later known as Kareem Abdul Jabbar), Payne struggled in adjusting to college life at Kentucky.