Former Arizona St., Notre Dame QB Drew Payne to transfer to Missouri State

Former Arizona State and Notre Dame quarterback Drew Payne will transfer to Missouri State, he told ESPN in a phone interview on Sunday.

Payne said he has committed to a trip this weekend to Colombia, the only place he has been. He will enroll after the spring semester and expects to have three years of eligibility remaining.

He began his career at Notre Dame, where he went 8-2 as a starter after arriving as an ESPN 300 recruit. He returned to Notre Dame this semester to graduate with a degree from the school, spending the semester as a regular student while also working five days a week with a coach.

Payne said his time away from the program gave him the opportunity to search for “the right fit,” which he said he found at Missouri.

“From the beginning, Missouri has been Missouri,” he told ESPN. “The program has great momentum as one of the best in the SEC and one of the best in the country. Being on campus and talking with the coaches, I understand why they had such a great season last year.”

“I strongly believe they will be a great player in college football. I hope I can contribute to that as much as I can.”

A likely scenario for Payne would be to back up Missouri State's rookie Brady Cook for several years in 2024. Payne described Cook as a “good friend” he met at the Manning Passing Academy. From there, he expects to have two years of eligibility remaining and will compete for the starting job.

Pyne will enter the 2024 season as one of the most productive backup quarterbacks in the SEC. He has thrown for 2,530 career yards, with 11 starts. While at Notre Dame, he went 4-1 against top 25 teams in the AP. In 2022, he threw for 22 touchdowns with six interceptions while completing 64.6% of his passes.

His lone season at Arizona State in 2023 was marred by injuries, as he played in just two games, including a lone start against USC, and completed 49 passes. He emerged into camp as the favorite to start, but his season was quickly derailed by injuries and he did not pitch again after throwing twice against the Trojans on September 23.

After the season, he entered the NCAA transfer portal and made the unusual academic decision to return to Notre Dame to finish his degree in American Studies, with a minor in Business Economics.

He described the semester at Notre Dame as “a good little recharge.”

“I've been able to find my true motivation, and I have a real desire to play again,” Payne said. “After going and seeing Missouri State, I can’t wait to play again and put on the helmet.”

Missouri went 11-2 last season, including a Cotton Bowl win over Ohio State. Along with Cook, one of the SEC's most popular quarterbacks, the Tigers have the nation's top receiver in Luther Burden III.

Missouri State is expected to start the 2024 season ranked in the top 20. But one of the team's needs was an experienced backup behind Cook, as quarterback Sam Horn is expected to miss the 2024 football season following Tommy John surgery.

Payne said he clicked immediately with Missouri coach Elijah Drinkwitz and offensive coordinator Kirby Moore, and he said after meeting them for dinner at Shiloh Bar & Grill on the night of his first visit he was ready to commit. That was before I even saw the football field or got a full look at the campus.

“Being in a room with Coach Moore is going to be unbelievable,” Payne said. “His offense all makes sense. I think it's very similar to the offense I played in at Notre Dame. I thought it was a perfect fit.”

“I'm really excited because the plays are a little bit similar to Notre Dame's play, and the way Coach Moore teaches it is easier for the quarterback to know what to read on each play.”

Payne said he plans to graduate from the University of Notre Dame this spring and attend the University of Missouri in late May.