Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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34 MAY 2022 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY MIKE SINGER Notre Dame added a late piece to its 2022 recruiting class with the ad- dition of Cincinnati La Salle running back Gi'Bran Payne, who announced his commitment April 15. In February 2021 prior to his senior season, Payne announced a top five of Alabama, Florida, Northwestern, Notre Dame and Penn State. The Irish offered him fairly early in the process but were never thought of as a serious contender in the recruitment. Payne dealt with injuries during his junior and senior seasons, and his op- tions started to change. Indiana made a push for him, and he committed to the Hoosiers a few weeks before the start of his senior season. Payne signed with Indiana in December 2021. On March 8, Payne announced on Twitter that he had been released from his National Letter of Intent with Indiana. "I just want to explore options more," Payne told The Cincinnati Enquirer af- ter releasing the news. "Relationships weren't the same and kind of faded. There wasn't much communication there, and it didn't feel as good anymore." The relationships had changed be- cause IU running backs coach Deland McCullough left his post for Notre Dame, a move that was made official Feb. 11. McCullough was the lead recruiter in the Hoosiers' pursuit of Payne. "It was tough," Payne said of Mc- Cullough's departure from Indiana. "I got through it, but then there was no communication with me and the other coaches when he left. I had to do what was best for me." McCullough is considered a rising star in coaching and came back to the college ranks from the NFL because he felt it would put him on the best path to being a head coach. The chances of him staying in South Bend for Payne's expected four years at Notre Dame aren't great, and the future Irish player is aware of that reality. The more Notre Dame recruited him, the easier it became to look past it. "It just feels right," Payne said of choosing Notre Dame. "Even if Coach McCullough does find another job again, this is the right fit for me. "We have a strong relationship, He cares about his players. When I commit- ted to Indiana, they weren't in my top five, so it was a surprise. The relationship between us had an impact on me." After receiving his release from Indi- ana, he and McCullough reconnected, and Payne officially visited Notre Dame April 8-10. "Going on campus was great," Payne said. "I met a lot of people and enjoyed watching practice. I already had rela- tionships with a lot of the coaches — Coach [Marcus] Freeman and Coach Chad [Bowden] from Cincinnati. Of course, Coach McCullough — I've known him for a while now. "When I got there, they were really excited to see me. I watched practice, and it was the first day that they were doing real contact and a scrimmage before the spring game. I was hanging out at the facility, made videos and took pictures. I hung out around the players." Notre Dame has a strong running backs corps despite the loss of Kyren Williams to the NFL Draft, but don't rule out a Year 1 contribution from Payne. He can also help out as a slot receiver or on special teams. "They told me to be ready to play," Payne said of the staff. "They're not promising me anything. I have to work for it. Special teams will be big. I think I can be moving around a bunch. I can play some wide receiver also." According to the On3 Consensus, Payne is the nation's No. 27 running back and No. 334 overall player for the 2022 class. He's also the No. 12 player from his home state of Ohio. During his junior and senior seasons in which he battled injuries, Payne to- taled just 509 rushing yards and 11 total touchdowns (eight rushing and three receiving). His sophomore year was his best — he helped lead La Salle to a 2019 Ohio Divi- sion II state championship. Per The En- quirer, he rushed for 790 yards and nine touchdowns. He also added eight recep- tions for 141 yards and three touchdowns and was a key linebacker for his team, posting 41 tackles, four sacks, three forced fumbles and two interceptions — one of which he returned for a touchdown. "I like to compete, and I don't like to lose," Payne said. "I want to do what's best for me and those around me. And I want to win." During his original recruiting process, Payne held offers from Alabama, Notre Dame, Penn State, Michigan, Kentucky, Florida, Iowa, Wisconsin, Cincinnati, Northwestern, Louisville, Minnesota and others. ✦ COMMITMENT PROFILE GI'BRAN PAYNE Notre Dame Makes Late Addition To Its 2022 Class With Talented Running Back Payne, a four-star running back prospect per the 2022 On3 Consensus, signed with Indiana last December before being granted a release from his letter of intent in March. PHOTO COURTESY GI'BRAN PAYNE FILM ANALYSIS "Payne shows good speed, vision, balance and strength. He's a good cutback runner with excellent hands and does everything asked of him and more. Payne consistently shows the ability to make the first man miss, can acceler- ate on a dime and — when called upon — can catch and block. I also like him on the defen- sive side of the ball where he dominated. — Prep Football Report recruiting analyst Tom Lemming "They told me to be ready to play. They're not promising me anything. I have to work for it. Special teams will be big. I think I can be moving around a bunch. I can play some wide receiver also." PAYNE ON WHAT IRISH COACHES TOLD HIM