Jaishawn Barham had a strong first season with the Michigan Wolverines after spending two years with the Maryland Terrapins. Here is what we can expect from the senior LB in 2025:
Jaishawn Barham needs to have another big year for Michigan football.
The senior will once again pair with his classmate, Ernest Hausmann, in the heart of the Wolverines’ defense and will need to compensate for crucial losses on that side of the ball.
Now, alongside Hausmann, it is their turn to lead this front seven and return the Wolverines to Big Ten relevancy. But first, let’s take a look at Barham’s journey to Michigan.
The journey so far
A District Heights, Maryland, native, Barham originally signed with the Maryland Terrapins, where he played his first two seasons of college football (2022-23). He saw regular playing time in each of those stints, recording 95 total tackles (10 for loss), seven sacks, one interception — against J.J. McCarthy, of all people — two pass deflections, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.
Barham has always been a top-notch athlete, and those skills translated smoothly to the Wolverines’ defense in 2024. Barham started alongside the aforementioned Hausmann and notched 66 tackles (four for loss), one sack and two pass deflections. He earned PFF grades of 69.6 for pass rushing, 83.2 for tackling and most impressively, 87.2 for run defense.
He did benefit from immense interior pressure from his defensive linemen, but he still showed off excellent instincts in the run game and has legitimate sideline-to-sideline speed.
Outlook for 2025
Barham will still be primarily at linebacker, but he will also see reps as an edge rusher this season. The athleticism and ability to win at the line of scrimmage could be valuable in certain scenarios.
Here is what head coach Sherrone Moore recently had to say on Barham’s usage to The Michigan Insider :
“He’s an absolute freak from an athletic standpoint. He’s gonna play inside linebacker, but he’ll have packages where he’ll be on the edge, he’ll be on the inside, he’ll be all over the place.
“He gives us a lot of versatility.”
The Wolverines can still lean on stalwarts Derrick Moore and TJ Guy along the edge, with Dominic Nichols and Cam Brandt also expected to rotate in regularly. But the plays that Barham lines up on the edge, expect Jimmy Rolder to be on the field at linebacker alongside Hausmann.
Michigan usually reserves its Swiss Army Knives for the secondary, namely its nickels. However, utilizing Barham in a variety of ways — whether it be as a dropping linebacker in coverage, a blitzer up the middle or a pure edge — should complicate things for opposing offenses. Barham plays a heavy game, and that physicality and toughness should help set the tone for the entire defense.