BREAKING NEWS: Michigan Officially Announces The Additions of Big Ten Top Prospects

Thursday morning, little under a month after Michigan’s winter semester began, the Wolverines officially acknowledged the arrival of two transfers on campus. Josh Priebe, an offensive lineman from Northwestern, and Maryland transfer linebacker Jaishawn Barham are expected to battle for starting positions with the maize and blue in spring.

“We are excited to add a pair of competitors to our program,” Michigan coach Sherrone Moore stated in a press release. “Both have extensive game experience and have been valuable contributors to their respective Big Ten teams. We expect them to put in the work this winter and are anxious to see what they offer to our squad during spring practice.”

Together, the two bring 52 career starts to a Wolverine club that will have to replace 17 2023 starters who have left for the NFL.

Since 2020, Priebe, reported by Michigan as 6-foot-5 and 310 pounds, has appeared in 36 games and made 29 starts at offensive guard for Northwestern. Last season, Priebe was a captain for the Wildcats and received All-Big Ten honourable mention. The Niles (Mich.) native has made more career starts (29) than all of Michigan’s other returning offensive lineman combined (25). Myles Hinton is the only other lineman with four or more career starts, having moved to the team after three seasons at Stanford.

This spring, Priebe is scheduled to fight with Giovanni El-Hadi, Raheem Anderson, Dominick Giudice, Amir Herring, and others. Michigan lost six offensive lineman from their 2023 lineup, who combined to play 4,200 snaps last fall, while returning linemen played a total of 624 offensive snaps.

For what it’s worth, we projected Priebe, a former top-500 prospect in the 2020 class and the No. 9 interior offensive lineman in 247Sports’ 2024 transfer portal rankings, to start at right guard on our projected depth chart.

 

In our defensive depth chart, Barham is also projected to start for the Wolverines in 2024, even though Michigan’s linebacker coach and defensive coordinator have yet to be determined. Barham, a rising junior and two-year starter at Maryland, with 95 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, seven sacks, 36 run stops, and 41 pressures in his first two seasons. College Football News selected him a freshman All-American in 2022, and he received honourable mention twice in the Big Ten.

“He is the top player on the Maryland team. “He’s a dog,” former Michigan running back Blake Corum, Barham’s high school teammate, said in December. “I expect him to make big plays at Michigan. Excellent pickup for us. I’m happy he’s here. “He is going to do big things in the maize and blue.”

Michigan lists Barham at 6-foot and 230 pounds, and he is anticipated to start at linebacker with Ernest Hausmann, who had 46 tackles as a high-usage reserve linebacker last season after transferring in from Nebraska. He will join a defence brimming with young talent, including Hausmann, Josaiah Stewart, Derrick Moore, Rayshaun Benny, and Keon Sabb, all of whom have significant experience. They will join seasoned players Will Johnson, Rod Moore, Makari Paige, Mason Graham, and Kenneth Grant.