While the Notre Dame football team continues ironing out who will be the starting running back and who his understudy will be, a former Fighting Irish running back is busy competing for a starting job at Marcus Freeman's old school. Gi'Bran Payne departed Freeman's current program for the Cincinnati Bearcats this winter, and he's now looked good enough that there's a chance he could start for the Big 12 school.
He certainly hasn't guaranteed a starting spot for him just yet, but Cincy head coach Scott Satterfield has enjoyed the work Payne has done so far. He talked about the running back's efforts just as fall camp opened and pointed out that this is really the first time that Payne's had a legitimate shot at a bunch of carries.
“He’s excited to go out and perform,” Satterfield told Cincinnati PBP man Dan Hoard about the former Notre Dame running back. “Probably the last time he had more than 10 carries in a game was back in high school. So for him, coming out here and trying to perform at this level is exciting. He wants to prove that he belongs, and I think he does that every single day.”
It looks as though Payne will compete against Zion Johnson for the starting job. That too seems to favor the ex-Notre Dame player. While Johnson has been around a bit longer, he certainly hasn't staked his own claim.
Gi'Bran Payne pushes for Cincinnati starting job after leaving Notre Dame football
Last season, Johnson had just 22 carries for 106 yards and a touchdown. The Bearcats were careful to only play him in four games so he could keep his redshirt. While that wouldn't be the issue this year, he's still young and inexperienced.
Even with Payne not getting all that many carries, he does have more experience seeing what it takes to succeed at the college level.
The running back played for the Notre Dame football program from 2022 to 2025. While he didn't amass a ton of playing time, he does have 56 carries for 226 yards and two touchdowns. He's also shown an ability to be a weapon in the passing game, catching 9 passes for 58 yards and 2 touchdowns.
There's also something to be said for spending years working alongside Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price. He knows what it takes to get to the NFL, and he knows what it takes to be one of the best backs in the country. While Notre Dame's room was a bit too full, he found a school where he could shine.
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