Maryland football signs four-star linebacker Jaishawn Barham in surprising flip

Maryland football’s Class of 2022 just got much stronger.

Maryland was able to flip four-star linebacker Jaishawn Barham, who committed to the South Carolina Gamecocks on Dec. 11, to head coach Michael Locksley’s program on Wednesday. Barham is a native of Maryland and is one of the best players to come out of the state in his class.

Barham received very a high ranking on 24/7 Sports, compiling a composite score of .9543, which is good enough for the third-best recruit coming out of Maryland in the Class of 2022. The 6-foot-3, 230-pound linebacker immediately steps in as the Terps’ highest-rated recruit in the Class of 2022, ahead of four-star wideout Shaleak Knotts (.9173) and four-star running back Ramon Brown (.9114).

Barham is an extremely talented player and he’s also highly regarded nationwide. Out of the top linebacker recruits in the Class of 2022, Barham ranks as the eighth-best.

The move was a surprising one for Locksley’s program, but a much-welcomed one after the team lost freshmen Branden Jennings and Terrence Lewis to the transfer portal.