Marcus Freeman credits Gi'Bran Payne for consistency

After a lackluster freshman season, expectations weren’t high for Gi’Bran Payne in 2023. Nonetheless, the sophomore running back has climbed the depth chart. On Monday, Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman gave fans the reason why.

“Just consistency,” Freeman said. “Every couple of days, we talk about grades from practice. We grade practice. We talk about who can you trust. Who’s dependable? And that’s, to me, where Gi’Bran has truly elevated himself in terms of that running back room.”

Payne didn’t have many opportunities to show off his dependability last season. In 2022, Payne appeared in four contests, mostly on the kickoff return unit. The 5-foot-9 RB only received two carries, tallying a total of five yards against Boston College.

Payne’s minimal playing time wasn’t a surprise. He was a freshman in a loaded running back room. Payne was a four-star recruit at LaSalle in Cincinnati. He was the No. 27 running back nationally and ranked the 334 prospect in the Class of 2023, per On3’s Industry Ratings.

Although Payne doesn’t boast insane natural talent, Freeman claims the Ohio native possesses other intangibles.

“Talent matters. He wouldn’t be here if he wasn’t talented. But, there might be some guys that you might say might be a bit more talented than him, but we want to play guys that we trust and are dependable,” Freeman said. “That’s what Gi’Bran has shown in protection, in taking care of the football, in doing his job. I think he’s graded higher than anybody in that room.”

Payne and his fellow running backs have big shoes to fill. The Fighting Irish averaged 189.1 rushing yards per game last season, the 35th-most in the country. Along with Payne, Notre Dame returns Audric Estimé, who rushed for 920 yards last season.

However, the team did suffer a loss in the offseason when Logan Diggs transferred to LSU following Notre Dame’s spring practices. Diggs boasted the second-most rushing yards on the team last season with 822.

Freeman knows his backfield will need every piece firing at full capacity.

“We’ll need them all. We’ll need Jadarian Price. We’ll need Devyn Ford. We’re going to need Jeremiyah Love. All those guys, to me, will help us,” Freeman said.

After winning six of their final seven games last season, the Fighting Irish have high hopes for 2023. Evidently, they’re not alone. The AP ranked Notre Dame at No. 13 in its Preseason Top 25. Notre Dame will have a chance to prove expectations right on Aug. 26 when it takes on Navy in its season opener in Dublin, Ireland.