Name: Damon Payne
Height: 6'4”
Weight: 311 lbs.
High school: Belleville (MI) Belleville
Position: Nose tackle
Class: Fifth year senior
Jersey number: #44
Last year: Payne was a starting defensive tackle at Alabama. He made 14 tackles for loss and 1 sack.
TTB Rating: N/A
Payne was a 5-star, the #7 defensive lineman, and #24 overall in the class of 2021. Instead of signing with Michigan - during a team when Belleville-Michigan relations were strained - he ended up signing with Nick Saban's Alabama. He went down to Tuscaloosa and, you know, didn't do a whole lot. Altogether, he made 30 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, and 0.5 sacks during four years. Known as a good run stopper, he didn't offer much when it comes to penetrating the backfield or chasing plays down.
Michigan snagged Payne in the transfer portal, and he returns close to home to play in front of friends and family. The Wolverines have a ton of depth at defensive tackle this season, depth that includes at least six players who are "playable" in: Payne, Rayshaun Benny, Tre Williams, Trey Pierce, Ike Iwunnah, and Enow Etta. I see Payne as a third starter on the inside, along with Benny and Williams. Williams has more explosiveness, while Payne seems like more of a space eater who is going to be very difficult to run against. Add in the fact that Michigan can roll six-deep on the interior, and these guys should be very good as they stay fresh throughout the game and throughout the season. I don't expect Payne to break out when it comes to putting up big numbers, but he should be a part of a very good defensive line.
Prediction: Part-time starting nose tackle
Yep if MIchigan was pulling a Alabama starter to be a rotational backup that would be something. But Payne I believe only started one game as an injury fill in. Still is something that Michigan's $ topped Alabama's here and at RB.
ReplyDeleteHe'll probably get a few more starts one way or another in Ann Arbor but everyone seems to be putting him behind Benny and Williams in the pecking order. Which is perfectly fine since rotation should be frequent. Probably too frequent to really rank Payne much higher than this even though DT is such a high value position.
I'm look forward to the depth! We're a long was from Mason & Glasgow getting meaningful snaps at DT
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