2025 OL Kage Payne Recaps Notre Dame Lineman's Challenge

2025 Kings High School (Ohio) offensive lineman Kage Payne‍ is no stranger to Notre Dame as he’s been to campus frequently over the last two seasons. 

The 6-foot-3, 280-pounder made the trip back to South Bend for Notre Dame’s Lineman’s Challenge on Saturday to get work in with new offensive line coach Joe Rudolph. 

Payne also made sure to leave an impression on the staff with his leadership and effort throughout the day. 

“It was in front of the line and trying to help out others with what the coaches were saying because some of the kids weren’t getting it,” Payne told ISD. “I wanted to keep the energy high and momentum going through the day. We did a lot of footwork, pass pro and run fitting.” 

Rudolph was bouncing around to the different groups throughout the day, but made sure to spend plenty of time around Payne’s group and the Ohio native was able to get a good feel for his coaching style. 

“I really liked it,” stated Payne. “He likes to keep things going and teach you as you’re going rather than sit around and teach you later. I really liked that about him and he teaches technique.” 

Payne also noticed that Rudolph was an effective communicator and teacher without yelling his head off like some offensive line coaches. 

“He’s a really mellow guy, but he’s a great coach,” Payne said. “He doesn’t scream in your face, but he gets his point across just as well.” 

Notre Dame grad assistant Rob Delaney also spent time with Payne and left a positive impression.

“He’s a great coach,” explained Payne. “He’s going to show you how to do it then you go and he’ll fix it after. He’s a really good dude and a really great coach. He taught me a lot today.” 

The camp had over 150 players, which led to quality competition. 

 “The offensive line group was very competitive,” Payne stated. “There were probably four times as many offensive linemen as defensive linemen. It was a good competition.” 

Payne will camp at Duke, North Carolina, NC State, Wake Forest, Ohio State and Cincinnati later this summer. 

Offers: Akron, Arkansas State, Bowling Green, Coastal Carolina, Florida Atlantic, James Madison, UMass, Memphis, Miami (OH), Ohio and Toledo

Sophomore Highlights

Notre Dame Fighting Irish 3-Pack Contour Golf Club Head Covers