Sherrone Moore confirms superstar player’s position switch, praises his ‘first-round’ ability at newfound position
Jaishawn Barham’s move to pass rusher has sparked Michigan’s defense and has Sherrone Moore buzzing about his potential
In Sherrone Moore’s first offseason leading the Michigan Wolverines, the team pulled off a major coup in the transfer portal when they landed Jaishawn Barham from Big Ten opponent Maryland. Barham, a primarily edge rusher at Maryland, moved over to linebacker for the Wolverines in 2024.
While Barham was productive in this role and his traits flashed, it became clear over time that off-ball linebacker just wasn’t his most natural position. The Wolverines needed to have a different skill set there, but it wasn’t until this season that they had the depth they were comfortable with to begin moving Barham back to his natural position as an edge rusher.
In his first major game back at edge full-time against Nebraska, Barham exploded onto the scene, racking up seven pressures, two quarterback hits, and a rock solid 23.8% pass rush win rate. Now, Moore believes in Barham’s untapped potential back rushing the passer and said that the move will be permanent moving forward.
Could Barham Be a First-Round Pick at EDGE?
In his weekly radio show for “Inside Michigan Football”, Moore discussed Barham’s move over to the defensive line and raved about the natural and “freakish” talents Barham has as a pass rusher. Moore even went as far as to call Barham a potential first-round pick over at his old position.
“Yeah, he’s a freak. It’s a problem for other people. I’m glad it’s not our problem. He’s got ability, but now he’s playing to that ability, and he’s doing it consistently. But you saw it really in spring, but then you saw it in training camp, how he practiced, because he always had the talent. But we’ve been around guys with talent that don’t ever push it to that level, and he’s pushed it to that level. And now you’re seeing it. He’s got the chance to be a first-round draft pick if he continues to play that way. We’ll continue to push him, and he continues to push himself. But it’s fun to watch him out there on the edge.”
The good news for Barham is that this current pass rushing crop for the 2026 NFL Draft hasn’t exactly lit the world on fire with its beginning to 2025. The class desperately needs some more explosiveness to it, and Barham brings that in spades. Obviously, it’s far too early to make grand statements about what his draft stock will be, but his first games back rushing the passer have been encouraging, and it’s clear that Michigan’s staff has full confidence in Barham being the disruptive force they will need the rest of the season.
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