Tag: Jaishawn Barham

Draft prospects at LB to watch during Week 8 of college football season

Three draft prospects at linebacker for Packers fans to watch on Saturday.

It’s Week 8 of the college football season and the 2025 NFL Draft is 187 days away. Let’s take a look at linebackers that Green Bay Packers fans should watch during each time slot (all times central).

Brunch Time: 11:45 a.m.: Danny Stutsman, Oklahoma

The Sooner linebacker plays with fearlessness playing downhill. He’s a battering ram that tries to destroy anything that gets in his way of tracking down the ball carrier. The former four-star recruit is quick to diagnose the action and sift his way through the trash. Stutsman’s motor doesn’t turn off and always seems to be around the football. The Sooner linebacker would bring grit to Green Bay’s front seven.

Crack a beer: 2:30 p.m.: Jaishawn Barham, Michigan

The Michigan linebacker is an explosive mover who has outstanding range. At 6-3, 248 pounds, Barham is a well-put-together linebacker with a nice blend of power and quickness. The Maryland transfer is an effective blitzer and has the lateral quickness to hold up in coverage. Over the past three games, Barham has recorded nine run stops and one tackle for loss.

Nightcap: 6:30 p.m.: Jay Higgins, Iowa

A year ago, Higgins led the nation in tackles (171) and through six games this season he has 62 tackles and 21 run stops, including 28 tackles, one sack and seven run stops during the last two games. He’s a sideline-to-sideline force, who has a nose for the football. The Iowa linebacker trusts his instincts and plays with a ton of confidence. Higgins explodes downhill to make plays behind or near the line of scrimmage to halt run plays before they can get started.

Michigan football LB Jaishawn Barham is improving, his position coach says, learning to embrace system

You can see the talent, he’s just gotta figure it out between the ears. #GoBlue

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The hype beast of the offseason for Michigan football was transfer linebacker Jaishawn Barham. Having come aboard from Maryland, Barham is a freakish athlete who was spoken behind closed doors as a potential first-round talent.

However, it’s been a rocky start for Barham, who was abused by Texas in Week 2, and has often found himself out of position — seemingly in part due to confusion in a new (to him) defense, and the other part being that his freakish athleticism meant he’d often run himself out of plays.

But his position coach, Brian Jean-Mary, says that he’s trending upward and he can see the progress he’s made from Saturday to Saturday.

“He’s gotten better every week,” Jean-Mary said. “I know it doesn’t always show on the stat sheet or sometimes on the video, but he’s getting more comfortable in the system. I think he’s making a lot more tackles within the system. I think he gets frustrated. He’s a dynamic guy when it comes to pressuring the quarterback, and people are IDing him, which I tell him is part of it. It helps free up some of the other guys on defense, and that’s one of the things that happens when you’re a good player, and especially as explosive as he is.

“He’s been doing a better job of playing within the framework of the defense. There’s things he can improve on. Obviously, it’s going to be finishing plays a little better. I thought he was in position a couple times in some of those underneath passes, in particular the fourth down where if he knows where it’s going and cheats a little bit toward there, the ball doesn’t get completed. But those are things that as a young player, and I still call him a young player. I know he’s a third-year guy that started in this league, but he’s young in this system. That’s going to keep getting better.”

Considering his athleticism, WolverinesWire asked Jean-Mary a follow up about how he runs himself out of plays from time to time. Jean-Mary says that coaching that out of him is part of his job but Barham came to Ann Arbor to be able to follow in the footsteps of his predecessors within this particular defensive schematic framework.

“It is, but I think it’s a challenge that he’s embracing,” Jean-Mary said. “He came here for a reason. He saw the success that we had and obviously the success that guys like Junior and Mike Barrett had in the past, and I think he understood it was going to be different, and he’s getting better at it. He understands there’s a lot of good players on that field with him, and he just wants to be a part of it. Anything he can do to help us win, I think he’s all for it.

“It’s always frustrating. You want guys that want to make tackles. You want guys that want to make the game-changing plays and are able to wreck offense’s game plans. You want that. You don’t want to take that away from them, but he’s understanding how to do that within the framework of what we do.”

Barham will get another chance this week to right his past wrongs when he and the Wolverines travel to Seattle to face Washington.

Final 2024 Michigan football preseason position analysis: Linebackers

There’s a lot of promise at this position and the rotation looks deep. #GoBlue

Primer

Another position where we know who the starters are but have some questions about the rotation. Jaishawn Barham (a transfer from Maryland) could oddly be the best player on the field, which says a lot with DT Mason Graham, DT Kenneth Grant, and CB Will Johnson also being on the same defense. Ernest Hausmann was a rotational player last year after transferring from Nebraska but could be an upgrade at mike over Junior Colson — also speaking to his talent. But will the rotation be solid?

Projected starters: Jaishawn Barham, Ernest Hausmann
Rotation: Jimmy Rolder, Jaydon Hood, Cole Sullivan

Position outlook

Barham is an athletic freak and probably the most hyped player in all of fall camp. Hausmann is solid and should be incredible as a starter. So then the questions trickle down to the backups. Rolder would have played more in rotation last year if it wasn’t for injury plus the addition of Hausmann. Hood has long yearned to be a strong rotational player but has been intermittent in his progress. Sullivan is a true freshman, but could figure into the rotation even in year one, bolstered by the fact that he enrolled early. Micah Pollard should not be forgotten and he could see ample playing time as well.

Two Michigan football players make ESPN 2024 preseason ‘All-Transfer Team’

Both of these guys are extremely underrated. #GoBlue

Last year, there was a little hype with Michigan football given both the team it already had and the transfers it brought in. This year, not many outside of Ann Arbor are talking about either.

The Wolverines have a solid cast of characters returning from last season’s national championship team and they were very selective when it came to supplementing with transfers. The first two that joined the team, however, are the ones who are poised to make the most noise in 2024, ESPN says.

ESPN put out its 2024 preseason all-transfer team (subscription required) and despite not having a lot of hype behind Michigan’s additions, two players did make the cut.

The first one listed was the first to join the team back in December in left guard Josh Priebe. Described internally perhaps as the best offensive lineman (which says a lot), Priebe was described by Grant Newsome on Wednesday as having a similar impact to that of center Olu Oluwatimi joining the team in 2022.

OG: Josh Priebe, Michigan (via Northwestern)

The Wolverines inked only two players out of the portal in December during their run to the national championships, but it sure looks like both will be hits. Priebe, a 6-foot-5, 306-pound grad transfer from Northwestern, brings Big Ten experience with his 28 career starts and was a team captain for the Wildcats. Sherrone Moore has had a nice track record of finding O-line transfers capable of competing at a high level for Michigan, and it looks like Priebe will be a steadying force at guard for a new-look line.

The other is someone who’s been suddenly getting a ton of hype, and it’s emanating from the practice outward.

There’s perhaps no player who is being talked about more these days in Ann Arbor than that of Jaishawn Barham, whose penchant for hitting amid his physical prowess has the coaches salivating and opposing players trembling.

LB: Jaishawn Barham, Michigan (via Maryland)

The Wolverines’ hit rate on the transfers they brought in last year for their national title run proved to be extremely high. Barham is already looking like another win for them. The 6-foot-3, 248-pound linebacker comes in with two seasons of Big Ten starting experience and recorded 98 tackles, 28 pressures, 9.5 TFLs and 7 sacks at Maryland, earning Freshman All-America honors in 2022.

Though on the other side of the ball as a coach, Newsome proclaimed on Wednesday that Barham might be the best linebacker that Michigan has had due to both his capability along with his size.

Both players will start at their respective positions and should be high-impact players. And though they don’t have the same name recognition as a Quinshon Judkins, a Dillon Gabriel, or an Isaiah Bond, both should be huge for the Wolverines and their chances of success in 2024.

‘He causes problems’ – Why Jaishawn Barham may be the best Michigan football linebacker ever

Couldn’t be more excited to see No. 1 suit up in maize and blue! #GoBlue

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — We’ve been telling you to watch out for No. 1 and just days before the 2024 season opener, everyone in Michigan football is telling you to do the same.

The Wolverines felt like they got a steal in former Maryland linebacker Jaishawn Barham, who came to Ann Arbor via the transfer portal early in the offseason. With Junior Colson and Mike Barrett both moving on to the NFL, Barham is set to appear next to Ernest Hausmann. But Hausmann was hyped up last year, coming to Michigan from Nebraska as the No. 1 player in the transfer portal at the time. Barham didn’t have as much fanfare, but when it comes to Saturday’s season opener, players and coaches alike are telling to watch No. 1 hit.

Wide receiver Tyler Morris hasn’t matched up with Barham in fall camp, but notes that those who have have insisted that they don’t exactly have a good time.

“Not in camp but taking on block from him, from what I’ve heard, is not easy at all,” Morris said. “He’s definitely been a problem. He’s just different to be honest. He causes problems. He’s big, he’s fast, he can move laterally, so I think he’s going to be a big help to us this year.”

Kalel Mullings switched over from being a full-time linebacker his first two years to being a full-time running back last year. Unlike Morris, he’s had the misfortune of matching up one-on-one with Barham. And despite knowing what’s coming, given that he’s played the position, Mullings says that you have to be ready when you see Barham in the hole.

“Yeah — oh, yeah. We’ve done it a bunch,” Mullings said. “He comes with his stuff for sure. You’ve gotta strap and buckle your helmet every single time, every single time you’re going after (Barham). And personally, just been trying to use Jaishawn as a way to get myself better, because if you don’t come correct with him — man, you’ll end up on your (expletive deleted).

“All throughout camp, man, just been using that as an opportunity to prepare myself and sharpen myself, because (expletive deleted), if I can block this, if I could block this dude, I could block anyone in the country.”

Even those on the coaching staff who are about as far away from having to worry about Barham in fall camp have concerns — of a good nature.

Grant Newsome’s offensive line only really would have to worry about Barham on blitzes, but given his penchant for hitting, when he does come, he presents challenges.

“I’m excited to see him rush somebody else! He’s unbelievable,” Newsome said. “He’s unbelievable. I can confidently say he’s probably the most physically gifted second-level player we’ve had here, player we’ve had here in my time. Probably the closest was Devin (Bush), when he’s bigger than Devin by a good bit. And I don’t want to like overstate it, but he’s really, really good. He’s unbelievable, which has been an awesome challenge for our guys.

“I had a kind of funny conversation the first time Josh (Priebe) squared up on him. And it was a challenge every single day — just like it is with Mason, K.G., Stew, D. Moore, all those guys. It truly is a blessing for us because we face guys who — we may see a guy who’s as good as that maybe across the country, but we don’t see one who’s better. I would stand on the table right now and say that there’s not a better linebacker in the country now than that guy, and that’s not that insult to any of those guys who have come before him, the Juniors, the Devins, et cetera — Mike B.s. But he’s a specimen. I’m excited to see him fly around and make plays on Saturday.”

That’s high praise, especially considering the linebacking corps of the past two seasons, as well as how good Devin Bush was during his tenure.

Defensive line coach Lou Esposito doesn’t coach Barham directly but given that the linebackers play just behind his unit, he’s got strong insight as to what he brings to the table.

“He’s an old-school (linebacker). He’s physical. He’s tough. Like I said, he can cover. He can rush,” Esposito said. “You just watch his tape from last year, and he does all that at Maryland. So we’ll put him in some great situations here.”

Going further, Esposito says fans are going to have wow moments once per game given Barham’s penchant for contact as well as his ability to snuff out plays.

“I’m telling you, he is special,” Esposito said. “He is tough and physical and explosive, and he can cover. I mean, the kid can do it. I say the kid — the man can do it all. I really, really respect him. And he’s a guy that he’s going to be one of those guys where once or twice a game, he’s going to make a hit and the crowd’s going to go, ‘Ooh!’ because he’s going to light somebody up.

“And he is ready to go. We’re ready to go with him, too.”

Why Sherrone Moore is ‘super stoked’ about Michigan LB Jaishawn Barham

Super excited to see what he does in a winged helmet. #GoBlue

DETROIT — It’s been quiet outside of Ann Arbor, but inside Schembechler Hall, the coaching staff is ecstatic about having a Big Ten standout having joined the Wolverines this offseason.

Jaishawn Barham was a freshman All-American and two-time All-Big Ten player before leaving Maryland for Michigan football, and there has been buzz in Ann Arbor that the maize and blue may have quietly gotten a first-round caliber linebacker. Barham didn’t register many stats in the spring game, but you could see the impact he has and how instinctual of a player he is.

On Thursday, WolverinesWire asked Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore what he’s seen from Barham and just how good he could be and he waxed ecstatic about what he brings to the table.

“He’s really good,” Moore said. “He was the guy that when we played Maryland every year, we’re like, ‘We got to deal with No. 1.’ To have him on our team now is super awesome.

“Talk about a phenomenal human being, kid doesn’t say anything. He just puts his head down and works. And when he’s on the field, you feel him, so we are super stoked.”

Barham, and his middle-of-the-field compatriot Ernest Hausmann, are somewhat known commodities, but the question this offseason is who will spell them since Michigan has been known to go deep into their rotation.

Moore says that two are standing out and should be in the mix, but he leaves the door open for others to also earn some playing time down the road.

“Yeah, Jaydon Hood’s one, Jimmy Rolder as well,” Moore said. “And then you have a bunch of the young guys that played and you got to see. So those are the main two right now behind them. But we’ll see what happens.”

Michigan’s freshmen have recently reported and are now starting the process of getting acclimated. Summer conditioning will take place for the entire team before fall camp kicks off in either late July or early August.

What Sherrone Moore has seen from Jaishawn Barham since he came to Michigan

He’s going to be a stud for #Michigan this year. #GoBlue

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — One of the key components to Michigan football’s recent run in both the Big Ten and the College Football Playoff has been outstanding linebacker play.

Though the Wolverines have had serviceable — and sometimes great — linebackers in the past decade, it was only in the past three years that the corps as a whole has played at an elite level. Thus, it’s no surprise that with Junior Colson, Mike Barrett and Ernest Hausmann last year the maize and blue won the national championship.

The first two are gone to the NFL, but the Wolverines still have Hausmann, and they brought in Maryland transfer Jaishawn Barham in December to start opposite him.

We got our first glimpse of Hausmann in the spring game on Saturday, and while he didn’t show up often in the stat sheet, anyone paying attention could see just how disruptive he can be. There are murmurs that Michigan feels it perhaps got a first-round type of talent in the former freshman All-American and three-time All-Big Ten player.

On Monday, WolverinesWire asked Sherrone Moore what he’s seen from Barham this spring and he’s appreciated not only the play on the field, but the workmanship he’s had behind the scenes which is helping him earn the respect of his teammates.

“Instinctual, physical, violent, fast — everything you want in a linebacker,” Moore said. “As quiet as can be, just goes about his business the right way, just how we like the transfers that come in here. They just come in, assimilate themselves in the culture and keep attacking.

“So he’s been outstanding, and just I can’t wait to see what he does.”

With Barham’s attitude entering his third year being one of leading by example, it harkens back to when players like Olu Oluwatimi joined and managed to galvanize the entire team around him. When you have what Michigan currently has — a strong, player-led culture — in order to become a leader, you have to show you can abide by that culture through your work ethic.

It appears Barham is doing just that, which should pay dividends for the maize and blue this fall.

247Sports: Michigan football LB among nation’s ‘most ferocious’

An incredible addition to this new-look team! #GoBlue

Michigan football fans got well acquainted with former Nebraska linebacker Ernest Hausmann last year when he started laying licks on running backs. Though used in a reserve role, it was clear that he was the heir apparent to that being left behind by Junior Colson and Mike Barrett.

But there’s another linebacker that fans aren’t quite as familiar with who should fit in nicely next to Hausmann.

This offseason, the Wolverines managed to secure former Maryland linebacker Jaishawn Barham — who happens to be the last person to have intercepted a J.J. McCarthy pass in college. Though he hasn’t yet played a down for the maize and blue, he’s already getting accolades for his prowess in making the big hit.

247Sports’ Brad Crawford put together a list of the ’10 most ferocious linebackers’ entering 2024, and Barham came in ranked No. 4 in the country.

2023 numbers: 37 tackles (3 TFL)

The Barham file: The top-rated linebacker in the portal this cycle, Jaishawn Barham left Maryland for Michigan and 247Sports’ Clint Brewster called his arrival in Ann Arbor the “perfect fit” for both parties.

“Barham is an impressive looking specimen in the middle of the defense and he was freshman All-American in 2022,” Brewster told The Michigan Insider. “Production dipped a little bit this season but there’s a ton to like about his game. He’s a physical presence in the run game, but also does an excellent job on blitzes. He’s long, fast, and physical. The thing that really stands out for me is how well he moves laterally at that size and how he navigates through traffic. He’s got the arm length and strength to disengage and doesn’t get blocked easily. Michigan is a perfect spot for his talent and they will maximize his game. He’s a candidate to have a huge breakout year.”

The blitz part is big given that new Michigan defensive coordinator Wink Martindale is known to be a heavy blitzer. If utilized as expected, fans will get to know and love Barham in a hurry, especially considering how well he fits into the system.

In 2022, Barham was third on Maryland’s defense in tackles (58) while being first in tackles for loss (6.5) and sacks (4). As noted, his production waned in 2023, but with new life in Ann Arbor, he’s poised for a rebound year. And if 247Sports is right, it could be one that garners him national attention — not just local.

Why new Michigan LB Jaishawn Barham is the perfect fit for Wink Martindale

He’s fitting in really well for #Michigan. #GoBlue

New Michigan transfer linebacker Jaishawn Barham might know the future or just be really lucky. Either way, the kid has landed in the perfect spot after transferring from Maryland.

See, when Barham committed to Michigan he had no way of knowing Jesse Minter would be leaving and Wink Martindale would join the Wolverines and call the defense. In the grand scheme of things, the difference between Minter and Martindale isn’t extreme. Both run the same basic system, but Martindale blitzes the absolute snot out of his linebackers while Minter is a tad more conservative.

That is where Barnham fits like the last piece of a puzzle. Barham was a top 120 recruit in the 2022 cycle. He was heralded for his size (listed at 6-foot-4, 233 pounds at Maryland) and ability to play outside or inside.

At Maryland, Barham played mostly as a traditional middle linebacker but also utilized heavily as a blitzer. He even lined up as an edge defender on occasion. He’s no Micah Parsons, but with seven sacks to his name through two seasons of football, he understands how to get to the quarterback.

Martindale is famous for a particular defensive front that involves using three defensive linemen to cover up both guards and the center while sitting two edge defenders just outside of the tackles. Barham’s versatility as an edge-linebacker hybrid means that Michigan can run this front without substituting from their base personnel. Kenneth Grant will hulk over the center, Mason Graham and Derrick Moore will work the guards, and Josaiah Stewart and Barham will be the edge defenders.

This alignment would leave Ernest Hausmann as the lone linebacker, but he is more than capable of shifting through traffic and making a tackle in a crowd.

Being able to shift into this formation without substituting is a huge tactical advantage. As many Wolverine fans are aware, Ohio State invested a lot of resources into the run game this offseason and will likely attack on the ground more effectively than in seasons past. If the Buckeyes start to move the ball against the traditional 4-2-5 package, Michigan can adjust its run-stopping front without needing to hustle any players off the field. That plays as a terrific counter to what is usually an advantage in the offense’s favor.

Where ESPN ranks Michigan football transfer portal commit Jaishawn Barham

Such an underrated talent. #GoBlue

There are thousands of players in the transfer portal, despite it not having been open for very long. Such is the case with free agency coming to college football.

Michigan football has lost three to the portal thus far in walk-ons Leon Franklin and Sam Staruch as well as second-year scholarship running back CJ Stokes. The Wolverines, however, have been a sniper the past two years, hunting for the best fits, and they got a certified baller in former Maryland linebacker Jaishawn Barham.

Barham will be starting his third year in Ann Arbor and he very well could be starting if incumbent Junior Colson departs for the NFL. ESPN thinks quite highly of the former Terps standout, ranking him No. 59 overall while also having high praise for his capabilities.

Via Tom VanHaaren: (subscription required)

59. Jaishawn Barham, LB

Transferring to: Michigan | Transferring from: Maryland

HT: 6-3 | WT: 230 | Class: Sophomore

Background: Barham was an ESPN 300 recruit in the 2022 class and a big recruiting win for Maryland. He was an in-state prospect who started in 12 games as a true freshman in 2022. He had 58 total tackles and led the team with 6.5 tackles for loss and four sacks. He played in 11 games this season and ranked seventh on the team in total tackles with 37. He also had three sacks and three tackles for loss and should get quite a bit of interest in the portal. He’s an explosive and productive defensive player with multiple years of eligibility left who could fit with most defenses.

How he fits at Michigan: The Wolverines had success this past season bringing in a Big Ten linebacker transfer with Ernest Hausmann, who transferred in from Nebraska. Michigan has linebacker Michael Barrett leaving after this season and could see Junior Colson leave for the NFL. Getting Barham helps add depth, experience and someone who can help in the pass rush within the linebacking corps for next season and beyond.

We’ll see who else the Wolverines bring in. There are indications that Michigan football has reached out to former five-star cornerback Domani Jackson from USC and that he’s choosing between the Wolverines and Alabama — though that remains unclear. Western Kentucky cornerback Upton Stout is trending to the maize and blue and there are others, such as Wake Forest wide receiver Jahmal Banks, who appear to have a strong reciprocal interest in playing in Ann Arbor.