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Former Alabama DL Damon Payne signs with Michigan

IMG_6598by:Nick Kosko•12/18/24•

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Gary Cosby Jr.-USA TODAY Sports

Former Alabama defensive lineman Damon Payne committed to Michigan out of the NCAA transfer portal. On3’s Pete Nakos confirmed the news on Wednesday morning.

Following a redshirt year in 2021, Payne played in six games in 2022, then saw time in 2023 as a rotational player on the defensive line. This past season, he logged 14 tackles and one fumble recovery in eight games.

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As a member of the Class of 2021, Payne was a four-star recruit out of Belleville (Mich.) High, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He was the No. 2 overall prospect in the state, the No. 7 defensive lineman in the class and the No. 49 overall prospect in the class.

To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire.

Damon Payne commits to Michigan out of NCAA transfer portal

So Payne will trade a Crimson Tide jersey for a Wolverine uniform as Michigan looks to make a a big jump in Year 2 under Sherrone Moore. Moore’s Wolverines went 7-5 in his first regular season, which included a win over Ohio State.

“I just want to win,” Moore said. “We’re gonna do everything we can with all the guys that we have there to go win. That’s the number one goal, to go win. We talked about recommitting just like we did two weeks ago in the bye-week, so recommitting to your whys, recommitting to each other and doing everything we can to be successful. I think we’re in a really good place right now mentally, physically, spiritually and just want to do everything we can to win.”

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Moore has had some time to evaluate the program since the season ended – including an offensive coordinator change – and now has a better idea of what he wants Michigan to improve under his watch. The work for this offseason and the priorities set begin now.

“Just kind of like you saw in [the Ohio State game], the physicality, I want to turn that up to another level,” Moore said. “The toughness, the strain that we had in that game was outstanding, but I want to get bigger. I want to get faster. I want to get stronger, more explosive on offense. I thought defensively we played as good as a game as you could against that team and so I want to do that and just continue to build as a team because that’s what it’s really all about.