Two Notre Dame transfers commit to Power Four schools

Two Notre Dame transfers have committed to Power Four schools: Defensive end Joshua Burnham is headed to Indiana, while running back Gi’Bran Payne is returning home to Cincinnati.

They’re not the first two ex-Irish to find new homes at the highest level of competition. Quarterback Kenny Minchey quickly settled on Nebraska, where he’ll presumably become the Cornhuskers’ starting quarterback. Additionally, walk-on signal-caller Anthony Rezac committed to FCS South Dakota State.

Burnham, who has one year of eligibility remaining, parlayed his tremendous November into an opportunity at one of four programs who are still playing. Indiana is 14-0 so far in 2025, with wins over Oregon, Ohio State and Alabama. The Hoosiers will play a rematch with the Ducks on Friday in the Peach Bowl, which is also the national semifinal.

Blue & Gold named Burnham Notre Dame’s most underrated player, and for good reason. It might be a stretch to call Burnham a preseason afterthought, but the buzz around him certainly took a backseat to that of Boubacar Traore and Bryce Young. And after suffering an adductor injury in September, Burnham really was the forgotten man in the defensive end room.

But in November, finally healthy, Burnham was a consistent force for the Irish. He finished the season with 3.0 sacks and 6.0 tackles for loss, all in Notre Dame’s final five games. Burnham totaled 15 quarterback pressures in games against Boston College, Navy and Pittsburgh alone.

It’s also easy to forget how valuable Burnham was late in Notre Dame’s run to the national championship in 2024, especially on early downs as a run defender. He reminded Irish fans down the stretch in 2025.

Payne, like Burnham, has one season of eligibility remaining. However, he could petition for a second after missing the entire 2024 season with a torn ACL suffered in the Blue-Gold Game in April of that year.

Payne carried 45 times for 168 yards and 2 touchdowns in 2023, good for 3.7 yards per carry. He served as Notre Dame’s short-yardage and third-down back for much of the season. Following his injury, though, junior Jeremiyah Loveand redshirt Jadarian Price developed a stranglehold on the Notre Dame running back room.

Despite coming back quicker and more explosive than before his injury, Payne did not have a role in the Notre Dame backfield anymore. He fell behind sophomore Aneyas Williams and even true freshman Nolan James Jr., finishing the 2025 season with just 9 carries for 53 yards.

Payne did have a valuable role on special teams, serving as a blocker on Notre Dame’s kickoff return unit that earned Price second-team All-American honors at the position. He should be a valuable piece of the offense at Cincinnati, which is his hometown school.