2023-24 transfer portal

Lost in the shuffle of the pre-Rose Bowl noise was the commitment of Northwestern offensive lineman Josh Priebe to Michigan out of the transfer portal: 

Excited for the next chapter! Go Blue!! pic.twitter.com/ZRDm6ZJ6o2

— Josh Priebe (@PriebeJosh) December 28, 2023

Priebe figures to play a big role on the Michigan offensive line in 2024 given that the positional group will need to reload after major attrition, so today let's give him a proper introduction. 

AS A RECRUIT:

Priebe was a reasonably ho-hum guard prospect coming out of high school. The Edwardsburg, MI, (Cass County down on the Indiana border, about 15 miles from South Bend) native was a 3* ranked in the 600-700 range at the time of his commitment, though he was a riser over the process. He held offers from a bevy of MAC schools (Akron, Buffalo, CMU, EMU, Kent State, Toledo, and WMU), as well as Ivies Harvard, Yale, and Cornell, but once the P5 offers rolled in, it was clear Priebe was headed to greener pastures. 

[AFTER THE JUMP: more background]

Michigan earned their first commitment from the transfer portal on National Signing Day, bringing in LB Jaishawn Barham from B1G East rival Maryland. Let's get to know Barham using some of the tape accumulated from two years of FFFFs and what others are saying: 

As a recruit

Barham was a member of the class of 2022 recruiting cycle, hailing from District Heights, MD, and attending St. Frances Academy in Baltimore. His HS career began with Barham attending DeMatha Catholic and ended at St. Frances, a journey that saw him dip his toes into two of the biggest brands in national HS athletics. Barham was a prized recruit, ranking 119th in the 247 composite, 10th among LBs and 3rd among players in the state of Maryland. Opinions of him were quite favorable, as you'd expect. Here's Brian Dohn of 247 on his eval of Barham, the recruit: 

Good frame with ability to add mass and size. Plays outside linebacker in high school but style is suited to move inside in college. High level athlete with elite change of direction ability. Very good at sifting through traffic in the box to locate ball carrier. Hits gaps quickly. Highly active in running game and pursues well. Has understanding to stack and shed. Sure tackler with closing speed. Has excellent body control in space. Strong with his depth drops in coverage and is comfortable in space

The negatives Dohn would go onto cite was a need to bulk up and improve as a blitzer and in man coverage. Here was the take from Rivals' Adam Friedman: 

Barham is a big, explosive linebacker that can cover a lot of ground for his size. He has good instincts and doesn't have a problem finding the ball carrier. Barham is a physical tackler that can cause fumbles or caused receivers to drop passes. He does a nice job of disrupting running back, tight ends, or receivers while they're in their routes

Friedman went on to note that he was high on Barham's blitzing potential, a bit sunnier than Dohn you might say. The general consensus between the various scouting reports on Barham was that he was a big-frame LB (at the time listed at 6'3", 230), fast, physical, loving to tackle and hunt the ball in run defense, capable of moving in space as well as anyone. There were some questions about the refinement of his technique in various areas of the game, but the upside and athletic package was largely undeniable. 

Those physical gifts made him an obviously attractive recruit, gifting Barham his top 150 ranking. All four services had him in the top 300 and all but On3 placed him inside the top 150. Barham was a legitimate blue chip and coming from a national power in St. Frances, there was plenty of interest. He took official visits to four schools, PSU, South Carolina, Maryland, and Oklahoma, with his recruitment coming down to two of those four, South Carolina and in-state Maryland. The final period was a whirlwind, with Barham committing to South Carolina on Saturday, December 11, 2021, but then flipped to the Terps just four days later, on Wednesday, December 15. 

[AFTER THE JUMP: How he did in college and the fit at Michigan]

Another year, another promising young linebacker plucked from a conference rival.