For the past month-and-a-half, our Michael Chen has been keeping tabs on Gi’Bran Payne, a running back recruit based in Cincinnati. Earlier this week, Payne set Good Friday as the day he would announce his decision. True to his word, he did just that, and it’s good news for Irish fans:
just because y’all waited..@NDFootball @Hayesfawcett3 pic.twitter.com/3wEQubk7EU
— Gi’Bran Payne🧸 (@upnexxt03) April 15, 2022
Notre Dame’s gain is a loss for Indiana, with which Payne previously had signed a letter of intent before asking for and being granted his release. Not so coincidental is that Marcus Freeman hired Hoosiers Deland McCullough to the same position after losing Lance Taylor to Louisville.
As for whether the Irish needed another running back in their 2022 recruiting class, Irish beat writer Pete Sampson of The Athletic offered this:
“With Payne on board, Notre Dame should have five scholarship running backs on the roster this fall with Chris Tyree, Logan Diggs, Audric Estime and Jadarian Price. A year from now, that number could grow to seven after adding Class of 2023 commitment and top target Jayden Limar, who plans to visit for the Blue-Gold Game next weekend.
Would Notre Dame really carry seven scholarship running backs at one time? Probably not, which might be a tell of future roster turnover. There’s nothing wrong with letting a group of four-star prospects fight it out for carries, then wishing those at the bottom of the depth chart well if they’re looking for a bigger opportunity.”
Hey, if running back becomes as powerful a position for Notre Dame as tight end, there’s nothing wrong with that.
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