Damon Payne explains why he left Alabama for Michigan football
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — It’s something of a homecoming for Damon Payne, the former five-star who left Belleville for Alabama. And after transferring to Michigan this offseason, he’s loving the change of scenery thus far.
“Just talking about the family aspect,” Payne said. “Besides me being from up the street, they do make this place feel like home.”
There are a lot of connection points for Payne. He used to be a regular visitor to Ann Arbor for games back when he was a recruit. He has a former teammate in Tuscaloosa who joined him with the Wolverines and the new star of the team, Bryce Underwood, went to the same high school — though they had no overlap.
Payne made the decision to come play for his hometown Wolverines in December, and right away, he was forced to see his new team and his old team face off against each other in the ReliaQuest Bowl.
“It was a little weird,” Payne said. “I watched about 30 seconds, and I just got a little weird, so I turned it off, just waiting for the outcome.”
But he wasn’t alone in making that change. Justice Haynes, who was the third running back for the Crimson Tide a year ago, also made the move up north to Ann Arbor from Alabama. It was ironic for Payne, as he had no idea that Haynes was considering maize and blue.
“For me, it was kind of like, ‘Hey, you came, too!'” Payne said. “I didn’t know he was coming, so it was kind of like a little reliever having somebody who’s been through what I’ve been through. And we’re going into a new experience together just helps out, gives somebody a lean on, new motivation and stuff like that.”
Despite having been on campus many times as a recruit, Payne doesn’t notice any big changes from the Jim Harbaugh-coached program to the Sherrone Moore team. Regardless, he’s happy to be in Ann Arbor.
“I can’t recognize any big changes just because I was so young,” Payne said. “But I can tell you what it is now, and it’s a great place to be right now.”
Payne is expected to be either a starter or in heavy rotation as a defensive tackle for the Michigan Wolverines in 2025.
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