On Thursday, WolverinesWire asked fellow 2021 class member Rayshaun Benny — who has been in Ann Arbor the whole time — in a general sense his excitement for Payne’s commitment to the maize and blue (Payne hasn’t officially signed yet) as well as the importance of getting or bringing local talent back into the fold.

It was a crazy day in terms of transfer portal recruiting for Michigan football. The Wolverines had appeared to have gotten a commitment and a signing from former Belleville (Mich.) five-star defensive tackle Damon Payne — who has been at Alabama since 2021 — but that’s when things went haywire.

After a whirlwind of a day for Michigan in its recruitment of former five-star defensive lineman Damon Payne Jr. it has finally ended in a positive way for the Wolverines. Payne went to Instagram on Wednesday night and announced he would be committing to Michigan which finally put an end to wondering what happened?