Damon Payne, Wolverine

Tag: Belleville (MI) Belleville


24Dec 2024
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Damon Payne, Wolverine

Damon Payne (#44, image via USA Today)

Alabama transfer Damon Payne committed to Michigan last week.

Payne is listed at 6’4″ and 313 lbs. He made 14 tackles and 0.5 tackles for loss this past season with the Crimson Tide while playing in twelve games. Altogether, he has 30 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, and 0.5 sacks over four seasons at Alabama. He was a 5-star, the #7 defensive lineman, and #24 overall in the class of 2021.

Payne is originally from Belleville (MI) Belleville and was offered by Michigan coming out of high school, but the Wolverines’ strained relationship with Belleville made his recruitment basically a non-starter. Michigan has landed a couple Belleville products in recent years (Andre Seldon in 2020, Jeremiah Beasley in 2024), but both of them transferred before making any kind of impact; a few other Belleville products have committed but then decommitted, such as Aaron Alexander (UMass to Michigan State to Arkansas State) and Myles Rowser (Campbell to New Mexico to Arizona State).

Despite the 5-star ranking, Payne never made much of an impact at Alabama. After redshirting in 2021, he played mostly a backup role and managed just 2 total tackles for loss. With one year of eligibility remaining and Belleville superstar quarterback Bryce Underwood signing with the Wolverines for 2025, it seems Payne wanted to finish out his career near home and with a chance to make an impact.

Michigan is losing Mason Graham to the NFL and very likely could also lose Kenneth Grant to the draft, as well. Payne could potentially be a nose tackle starter next to 3-tech Rayshaun Benny. Other players in the mix to play include Trey Pierce and Ike Iwunnah, but Michigan seems to be looking for at least one more defensive tackle in the transfer portal. Payne managed an overall grade of just 62.3 in 2024 according to Pro Football Focus, so he will likely be a significant step down from Graham/Grant. He was the #4 highest graded Defensive Interior player on Alabama’s team with 100+ snaps (Payne played 288 snaps) on the season, so he’s a playable entity but not a standout.

21Nov 2024
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Bryce Underwood, Wolverine

Belleville (MI) Belleville QB Bryce Underwood (image via Yahoo!)

Belleville (MI) Belleville quarterback Bryce Underwood flipped from LSU to Michigan on Thursday night. He picked the Wolverines over . . . everyone.

Underwood is listed at 6’3″ and 205 pounds. As a junior he completed 179/276 passes (64.8%) for 3,329 yards, 44 touchdowns, and just 3 interceptions. Altogether, he has been responsible for over 165 touchdowns as a four-year starter at quarterback for the Tigers.

RANKINGS
ESPN: 5-star, 93 grade, #1 QB, #1 overall
On3: 5-star, 99 grade, #1 QB, #1 overall
Rivals: 5-star, 6.1 grade, #2 QB, #2 overall
247 Sports: 5-star, 99 grade, #1 QB, #1 overall

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29Jun 2023
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Jeremiah Beasley, Wolverine

Jeremiah Beasley (image via Twitter)

Belleville (MI) Belleville linebacker Jeremiah Beasley committed to Michigan on Wednesday night. He picked the Wolverines over offers from Florida, Michigan State, Missouri, and Tennessee, among others.

Beasley is listed anywhere from 6’1″ to 6’2″ and 208-220 lbs. As a junior in 2022, Beasley ran for 1,250 yards and scored 27 touchdowns, along with making 108 tackles.

RANKINGS
ESPN: 3-star, 79 grade, #15 ILB
On3: 4-star, 90 grade, #20 LB, #264 overall
Rivals: 4-star, 5.8 grade, #28 OLB
247 Sports: 4-star, 90 grade, #25 LB, #237 overall

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19Jun 2021
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Aaron Alexander, Wolverine

Belleville (MI) Belleville LB Aaron Alexander (image via 247 Sports)

Belleville (MI) Belleville linebacker Aaron Alexander committed to Michigan on Saturday afternoon. He picked the Wolverines over an offer from Marshall.

Alexander is listed at 6’2″ and 205 lbs. He reportedly ran in the 4.4’s at a couple camps recently.

RATINGS
ESPN: N/A
Rivals: 2-star, 5.4 grade
247 Sports: 3-star, 86 grade, #78 ATH

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18Jan 2020
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2021 Recruiting Capsule: Belleville DT Damon Payne

Damon Payne (image via Twitter)

NOTE: This series sort of tailed off when I got into the teens of the 2020 recruiting cycle, because not many of those kids are relevant to Michigan’s recruiting. But with the 2021 cycle in full swing, I’ll start at the top of the in-state rankings.

Name: Damon Payne
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 297 lbs.
High school: Belleville (MI) Belleville
Position: Defensive tackle
Class: 2021
Offers: Alabama, Auburn, Florida State, Georgia, Iowa, Iowa State, Kentucky, Louisville, LSU, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Mississippi State, North Carolina, Ohio State, Ole Miss, Penn State, Purdue, Syracuse, Tennessee, USC, Vanderbilt
Commitment: Undecided

Notes: 247 Composite 4-star, #5 DT, #31 overall, #1 in-state as of 1/18/20…Claims 5.47 forty…4.59 shuttle…28.9″ vertical

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