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PROVO — Austin Pay is sticking with the family business.
The Lone Peak offensive tackle revealed his commitment to BYU during a live show Saturday afternoon on 247Sports, selecting the school where his father, Garry, and brothers, Connor and Trevor, both play.
Rated the No. 38 offensive tackle nationally and the No. 3 overall prospect in Utah by 247Sports, Pay chose the Cougars over a final three that included Oklahoma and Oregon. He made a visit to BYU on June 21, shortly after taking a trip to Oregon, and recently wrapped up a visit to Oklahoma on Oct. 19.
The 6-foot-6, 295-pound offensive lineman also had interest from Arkansas, Baylor, Oklahoma State, Texas A&M and Utah before narrowing down his final three ahead of Saturday's final reveal.
"It's been a crazy ride to see what they've gone through," Pay told 247Sports, noting new offensive line coach TJ Woods' hand in recruiting him as well as helping the Cougars to an 8-0 start and No. 9 ranking in the Associated Press Top 25. "I think the addition of coach Woods has been a big help to the O-line. There's been a huge jump in offensive production since he got there, and they're 8-0 now."
Despite his legacy with the Cougars, Pay took a patient approach to his recruitment, at times even noting he could opt for a different path than his parents and siblings before him while starting every game at Lone Peak since his freshman season. He also attended the National Combine in San Antonio earlier this year, where he began to draw even more national interest.
"I think your college choice is such an important decision in your life, so I was in no hurry to make a decision," said Pay, who plans to serve a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints before enrolling in Provo. "I wanted to check all of the boxes, and make sure I knew where I wanted to go."
But the decision ultimately came down to BYU, with the Ducks and Sooners making a late charge earn his pledge for the tackle who has experience playing across the offensive line.
"Right now, I see myself as a tackle and down the road," Pay said. "But I'm willing to play where ever they need me to play so we can win football games.
"I'm a guy who's a hard worker, very aggressive, and I'm going to get after some D-linemen."
