Alabama 5-Star Transfer Voided His Commitment On Wednesday
12/18/2024 08:00 PM
The college football transfer portal is kicking into high gear with players making commitments all over the country. Thousands of players will be heading to new teams next year, but one player who decided on a new destination is now nullifying his commitment.
Former Alabama defensive lineman Damon Payne entered the transfer portal on Tuesday, then made his decision to head to Michigan on Wednesday.
Just a few hours later, On3's Pete Nakos reported that those documents were being nullified by his agent.
"Damon Payne is not currently signed with any school, and he will be releasing his commitment under his own terms very soon," said his agent, Steven Fantetti of Athlete Empowering Agency.
Michigan is still in the mix to land Payne as he continues to evaluate his options in the portal. He is also looking at USC, Notre Dame, Oregon or even a return to Alabama.
Payne now has 10 days to make a decision, as the transfer portal closes on December 28.
The former four-star recruit was one of the top players in the state of Michigan in 2021, ranking second behind eventual Michigan running back Donovan Edwards.
Payne appeared in 31 total games at Alabama over the last three seasons. He had a total of 30 tackles and half of a sack in his career with the Crimson Tide, while also recovering a fumble this season.
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Payne is among the notable players to enter the transfer portal this season, joining prominent names from other Power 4 schools like Conner Weigman (Texas A&M), Miller Moss (USC), Kevin Concepcion (NC State), Barion Brown (Kentucky) and Beau Pribula (Penn State).
The transfer portal is yet another reminder of the new realities of college football. As players earn more agency through NIL and revenue agreements, we'll see how the landscape of the sport continues to change.
There's a good chance that the way programs are run will differ from how things have been traditionally handled during the last several decades.
As we await even more change with the first-ever 12-team playoff, we'll see where Payne and some of the other top transfer players in the country end up following their time in the portal.
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