Cincinnati (Ohio) LaSalle four-star running back Gi’Bran Payne signed with Indiana as part of the 2022 recruiting class. The 5-10, 190-pounder chose the Hoosiers over offers from Alabama, Florida, Michigan, Notre Dame, Penn State, Wisconsin and many others.
After several coaching changes in Bloomington after National Signing Day, Payne requested and was granted an exemption from his Indiana Letter of Intent, according to the NCAA. At that point, he was free to sign and log elsewhere. In addition, 247Sports had learned that, as a true newcomer, he was immediately eligible to play in 2022.
“As a person and as an athlete, I thrive and thrive on communication and real relationships,” Payne wrote on his personal Twitter account. “With that in mind, I want to explore my options to ensure I’m making the best decision for myself and my future. I am grateful and appreciate all the reflections and opportunities given to me by Indiana University staff and coaches. With that in mind, I am now reopening my recruitment.”
This informed us that Notre Dame had received his acceptance and that he would join the Fighting Irish Football program.
After the addition of a new running backs coach, it’s not too much of a surprise Deland McCulloughwho recruited him to Indiana last cycle but made the move across the state to join the Notre Dame program under the head coach Markus Freiman.
During his time at LaSalle High School, which saw much of his junior year lost to injury, Payne rushed for 1,299 yards and 17 touchdowns. As a senior, he again missed time through injury and ended up rushing for 274 yards and three touchdowns with 66 carries. He also had 12 receptions for 177 yards and two touchdowns. Payne was also enrolled in high school.
After Payne initially penned with Indiana, head coach Tom Allen spoke about the signing and what he was most excited about in terms of the ball carrier from Cincinnati.
“Really, really talented soccer player. Huge burst, love the compactness of his build. I love the acceleration he shows in the film. We needed to get more of that in our running back room, and we did. He’s a big part of it, a big part of our future,” said Payne’s Allen. “I’ll tell you what, one thing I also really love about him is that he played defense. Played outside linebacker, caused a lot of fumbling. He has done many plays. He tackled with great pop and intensity. I love seeing that. I like to see guys who are just good football players. My whole goal when I watch a team play is to make sure we get the best football player on that field on both sides of the ball, and a lot of these guys have done that. So I know Gi’Bran will come here, work his ass off and be a tremendous asset to our football team.”
247Sports Scouting Report: One cut and go back with good acceleration and has shown he can hit the home run against good competition. Would not classify as a big back but is compact with a good muscle base if going to college. Prefers to hit the crease and go, but when he needs to get creative he shows something elusive and wiggles. Solid pass catcher. Can get even faster at the top. Has dealt with a few injuries and has had split carries at other times in his career, making him less relevant than other top-ranked national running back prospects.