The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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10 THE WOLVERINE ❱ NOVEMBER 2025 ❱ INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS ❱ Sitting Down With Michigan Defensive Lineman Damon Payne Michigan didn't land Damon Payne when he came out of nearby Belleville (Mich.) High, losing him to Alabama. The Wolverines were fortunate enough to get him, though, after he entered the transfer portal this offseason. Payne discusses his return home, his first months in Ann Arbor, and more in this Q&A. The Wolverine: What was the transition like coming to Michigan from Alabama? Damon Payne: "It was like the first day of school. I was pretty much just feeling it out, knowing the guys, having them embrace me. I'd compare it to that. It's been a great tran- sition. … I even took my brother to practice [recently]. It's great being home, just around family, around a new family I created here. It's just been great. "I have a lot of nicknames. I just like to be around the guys, and they embrace me. I'm a funny dude around them. They say, 'It's a bird, it's a plane … it's D-Payne coming through!' I love it. I joke around with them all the time. It's just fun." The Wolverine: There were high expectations for the line even after losing Mason Gra- ham and Kenneth Grant to the NFL. How do you follow that here? Payne: "We just like to say every year it's going to be different. No matter what it is, something's going to be different, and we take on that, and we embrace it. We work our best to improve on what we need to. That's just our philosophy." The Wolverine: There have been some ups and downs through the first several weeks. What's been the focus after a tough loss? Payne: "Just little things — being really disciplined within the game, doing the small things right. When things get difficult, falling back on your training. That 's what I see from the team. "Basically, what type of man are you going to be? How are you going to respond? Are you going to let this moment affect the next weeks you've got, or are you just going to move on?" The Wolverine: What's the goal for the defensive line, specifically, the rest of the way? Payne: "Our unit's goal is to be connected. We hang around each other all the time outside the facility, just being brothers, just being connected. That's our goal — just to bring that onto the field. How we play, how we communicate, how we know each other's stories, how we play for each other." The Wolverine: What's been different about this experi- ence compared to Alabama? Payne: "I don't really see much difference as far as workwise. Work doesn't stop no matter where you go. It's a little colder here, but that's about it. It's nice having a 70-degree day over 95. It's pretty cool that way." — Chris Balas Payne transferred from Alabama to Michigan, his home state school, this past offseason. Through seven games, he had 8 tackles, including one for a loss. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL MEN'S BASKETBALL IS TOP 10 IN PRESEASON AP POLL Michigan has big-time expectations for the 2025-26 season, and Associated Press voters feel the same way, with the Wolverines checking in No. 7 in the preseason top 25. Last season, Michigan was coming off an 8-24 year but wound up 27-10 with a Big Ten Tour- nament title, Sweet 16 berth and No. 10 final ranking in the AP poll. To begin this year, Michigan is behind only No. 1 Purdue, No. 2 Houston, No. 3 Florida, No. 4 UConn, No. 5 St. John's and No. 6 Duke. The Wolverines are one of six Big Ten teams in the AP poll, joined by No. 1 Purdue, No. 12 UCLA, No. 17 Illinois, No. 22 Michigan State and No. 24 Wisconsin. Michigan will play eight games against seven teams that are in the top 25 entering the sea- son: at No. 1 Purdue (Feb. 17), vs. No. 6 Duke (Feb. 21 in Washington D.C.), vs. No. 12 UCLA (Feb. 14), at No. 17 Illinois (Feb. 27), vs. No. 20 Auburn (Nov. 25 in Las Vegas), vs. No. 22 Michigan State (at MSU Jan. 30, in Ann Arbor March 8) and vs. No. 24 Wisconsin (Jan. 10). The Wolverines also have an exhibition with No. 5 St. John's Oct. 25. The Wolverines haven't been ranked this high in the preseason since slotting No. 6 ahead of the 2021-22 campaign that ended with a 19-15 record and Sweet 16 appearance. This is the 16th time that U-M has been ranked top 10 to begin a year. Michigan is viewed as a legitimate national championship contender, with BetMGM giving it the sixth-best odds to cut down the nets on the final Monday night of the season in Indianapolis, tied with Kentucky and St. John's at +1600. The only programs with better chances are Purdue (+800), Houston (+900), Duke (+1300), Connecti- cut (+1400) and Florida (+1400). — Clayton Sayfie Season Preseason Final Rank* Record 2025-26 7th — 2021-22 6th 19-15 2013-14 7th 28-9 2012-13 5th 31-8 1996-97 9th 24-11 1993-94 5th 24-8 1992-93 1st 31-5 1989-90 4th 23-8 1988-89 3rd 30-7 1987-88 9th 26-8 1985-86 3rd 28-5 1978-79 8th 15-12 1976-77 1st 26-4 1965-66 2nd 18-8 1964-65 1st 24-4 1963-64 8th 23-5 * Associated Press poll