Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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10 SEPT. 2, 2023 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED UNDER THE DOME The road to Notre Dame for sophomore tail- back Gi'Bran Payne certainly didn't follow the usual course. Committed and signed in 2021 to play as a freshman at Indiana under then-Hoo- siers running backs coach Deland McCullough, Payne requested and was granted a release from his commitment when McCullough left Indiana for the same post at Notre Dame. Admitting that he never imagined ever donning blue and gold, Payne followed McCullough to South Bend and the player said he couldn't be happier with his decision. As a true freshman last season, the Cincinnati native spent most of 2022 watching and learning behind sophomore standouts Audric Estimé and Logan Diggs. Payne did make four ap- pearances, mainly on special teams, and notched 2 carries for 5 yards before he redshirted. With Diggs transferring this offseason, Payne will get plenty of chances to earn backup duties, or at least carve out an important role in the ro- tation behind Estimé. Payne will also be a special teams regular with spots on both the kickoff and kickoff return teams. As a star high school player, Payne helped Cin- cinnati La Salle to the 2019 Ohio Division II state championship, and he also was a member of La Salle's state championship 4X100-meter relay team in 2021. Blue & Gold Illustrated recently caught up with Payne to discuss his road to Notre Dame, his first year here, and what Irish fans can expect from him this season. BGI: This could be the deepest and most di- verse group of Notre Dame running backs in the last decade. What have you seen from the group so far? Payne: "We have a little bit of everything — pass blocking, speed, power, vision, everything. It allows us that when anybody goes in, we don't miss a beat. That's very valuable." BGI: What did you learn from last year that you can apply to this season? Payne: "I would say a little bit of everything. College football was kind of a hard transition for me. I think it was a good thing for me to kind of sit back and watch [the other guys]. That helped me a lot. I have a better feel of the game. I'm 100 percent healthy, feeling good and ready." BGI: What has stood out to you most about life at Notre Dame? Payne: "It's a university of the people. Every- body is friendly, everybody is welcoming. I had a warm welcome when I got here. That was the main thing for me. It felt like a home away from home. I felt safe here." BGI: And how would you describe your time here so far? Payne: "It's been a great experience. A lot of challenges, of course, but I found a way to get through those and overcome those and I feel like I'm doing very well now." BGI: Given the route you took to get here, how surprising is it that you even landed at Notre Dame? Payne: "Actually, I never imagined I would end up here. It was just a blessing to be able to play college football. And I definitely never imagined I would be doing it here." — Todd D. Burlage Five Questions With … NOTRE DAME SOPHOMORE TAILBACK GI'BRAN PAYNE Payne will be a special teams regular this season and will also have an opportunity to be part of Notre Dame's running back rotation. PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER Holden Staes Is The One To Watch By Todd D. Burlage The best way to predict the "anonymous" Fighting Irish players who could become surprises and make a bigger impact than expected in 2023 is to look inside the position groups with the greatest need. With Michael Mayer off to the NFL, the Notre Dame tight ends unit could be the one that needs reinforcements this season more than any other. Add to that the season-ending ACL injury recently suffered by senior Kevin Bauman and the uncer- tainty regarding Eli Raridon's recovery from the patellar tendon surgery he underwent last October, and the urgency to find production from the Irish tight ends becomes magnified. And that brings us to sophomore Holden Staes, who is expected to back up junior starter Mitchell Evans but will certainly line up together with Evans in 12-personnel sets (two tight ends). According to the On3 Industry Ranking, Staes (6-foot-4, 242 pounds) was a four-star talent and the No. 9 tight end in the country in the 2022 cycle. He has already put on about 12 pounds from last season. He looked terrific in spring ball and fall camp, and he appeared in 11 games and made one start with 1 catch for 11 yards as a true freshman last season. One player is not going to fill the production void left by Mayer. That is another reason why the Irish coaches need to find depth and multiple con- tributors at the tight end position this season, and Staes best fits the bill. From Eight Snaps To Big Factor: Jason Onye By Jack Soble Notre Dame's interior defensive line, with a top four of senior Riley Mills, graduate student Howard Cross, and juniors Gabriel Rubio and Jason Onye, caught several reporters' attention throughout fall camp. Head coach Marcus Freeman admitted during his Aug. 21 press conference that he wasn't necessarily expecting that, at least from Rubio and Onye. "I think I would be lying if I wouldn't say that I was a little bit surprised," Freeman said. "You got some guys that have not shown it in the game, right? … Those guys that really haven't played much defense in game situations, we're going to be able to count on. We're going to use those guys." Rubio played 184 defensive snaps in 2022. Onye, however, played only eight. Outside of Notre Dame's 44-0 win over Boston College Nov. 19, Onye has not seen the field in his Irish career. That will change this season. Onye showed flashes of dominance in fall camp, playing behind Mills at the three-technique spot. He moves incredibly well for a 294-pound defensive tackle. Onye has the size to hold up against the run and the agility to chase down a short pass if necessary. "At times, you pull out Howard Cross and Rylie Mills and say, 'Get Onye in there with the ones. Get Rubio in there with the ones,'" Freeman said. Onye, unlike the highly rated Rubio, was only the No. 674 player in the 2021 On3 Industry Ranking. In the past eight months, though, he has become a key player for the Irish. Point ✦ Counterpoint: WHO IS THE BIGGEST SLEEPER ON NOTRE DAME'S ROSTER? STAES ONYE