Just under three days separate Notre Dame from its season opener at Hard Rock Stadium. The buildup grows each day, as the Irish prepare for the challenges and opportunities that await in 2025. As part of our series, we turn our attention to a “number 3” on offense and defense.
Gi’Bran Payne - redshirt junior, running back
Payne missed the entire 2024 season due to a torn ACL sustained in the 2024 Blue and Gold game. In 2023 Payne found his niche as a short-yardage back, allowing him to see the field in all 13 regular season games. This was in a running back room coached by Deland McCullough. McCullough wasn’t afraid to share the workload, often finding roles for third and fourth string running backs. However, McCullough left the program at the end of last season to coach in the NFL for the Raiders.
His replacement is the highly regarded Ja’Juan Seider from Penn State. Seider takes over with a running back room that is unanimously ranked as a top-two group in the country. It seems unlikely that Seider will utilize his depth to the same extent as McCullough. With that, Payne will face stiff competition from sophomore Aneyas Williams and freshman Nolan James Jr. as they will compete for limited reps behind Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price.
Jaylen Sneed - redshirt junior, linebacker
Sneed was the top ranked recruit in the Irish’s 2022 recruiting class. With this acclaim comes hefty expectations. While many fans hope for highly touted players to make an immediate impact, Sneed redshirted his freshman year. Since then, he played in all 13 and 16 games of his sophomore and junior seasons respectively.
Last season in his junior campaign, Sneed elevated his game and is beginning to live up to the hype he first received as a freshman. He logged 51 tackles, was second on the team in third down stops and marked six tackles for a loss ( a mark good enough for fourth on the team), two forced fumbles and two and a half sacks. Perhaps his most notable play of last season was the quarterback hurry near the end of Orange Bowl, facilitating a Christian Gray interception, Mitch Jeter field goal and Notre Dame national championship appearance.
Looking forward into 2025, Sneed has been named to the Butkus Award watch list, the award given to the most impactful linebacker in college football. Sneed was recently named the starter at the weakside linebacker position for the upcoming match against Miami. This season, expect to see Sneed blitzing off the edge or spying more mobile quarterbacks. With Sneed’s athleticism, if he continues to elevate his play and stays healthy, expect to hear the name Sneed called at the 2026 NFL Draft.
