Gi'Bran Payne may have been a forgotten man on the side of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish after not seeing action for the entire 2024 college football season, but he's staying in South Bend.
Payne is looking to turn heads anew in his return to action with Notre Dame football following a whole season of absence to nurse and recover from a torn ACL injury in his right knee that he suffered.
Despite the temptation to leave the Fighting Irish and transfer to another program, there was no doubt in Payn's mind that he would stick with Notre Dame football and continue his career there.
“I never even thought about it,” Payne said about whether there was a possibility that he would have left Notre Dame, per Tyler Horka of On3.
“I believe we have the best room in the country, and I want to be a part of that,” added Payne, who dealt with right leg injuries as well before he entered college.
Back in his high school days at La Salle High School in Cincinnati, Payne dealt with a broken right ankle. He also suffered a torn meniscus injury in his right knee.
With Payne staying put, the Fighting Irish's confidence in their running back room must be high, especially given the role the unit played in Notre Dame's deep run in the College Football Playoff.
Jeremiyah Love will be leading the attack on the ground after a sensational 2024 campaign and Jadarian is still in the fold as an excellent RB2 option.
Payne, at best, can be viewed as the third one in the team's running back depth chart. Even when he's not the primary or secondary ground option, Payne has the opportunity to aid Notre Dame football's rushing attack, which ranked 201.0 rushing yards per game in 2024. The Fighting Irish could also use Payne's help to improve the team's ability to score inside the 20-yard line. Last season, Notre Dame was 76th in the nation with an 82.14 percent red zone scoring rate.
Before committing to Notre Dame football, Payne got offers from the likes of the Indiana Hoosiers, Cincinnati Bearcats, Boston College Eagles, Alabama Crimson Tide, Kentucky Wildcats, Florida Gators and Michigan Wolverines.
In 17 appearances for Notre Dame thus far, Payne has accumulated 173 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 47 carries.
