Top recruit flipping from USC to Maryland was ‘all part of the plan,’ Beamer was told
When four-star linebacker Jaishawn Barham signed with Maryland on Wednesday’s early signing day, the news came as a surprise to anyone who follows South Carolina recruiting.
It didn’t surprise USC head coach Shane Beamer.
Barham, a linebacker from District Heights, Maryland, had announced his public commitment to the Gamecocks on Saturday — in a ceremony in which he, his family and other supporters were all wearing South Carolina apparel — before flipping to the Terrapins on Wednesday.
But Beamer said he had reason to believe Barham’s commitment over the weekend wasn’t a firm one.
“I can’t say that it’s a surprise,” Beamer said during his Wednesday news conference. “When this particular young man committed on Saturday, about 10 minutes later, I got a phone call from somebody in the know up there that said, ‘Just so you know, it’s all part of the plan. He’s going to flip on Wednesday and go to Maryland.’
“So I can’t sit here and tell you that I was shocked.”
Beamer did not say who the phone call was from or whether “the plan” was Barham’s or Maryland’s, or both, saying that “you’d have to ask the young man.”
Barham is the No. 8 linebacker, No. 3 prospect from Maryland and No. 108 overall player in this year’s class, and at the time of his commitment, was the Gamecocks’ highest-rated commit in the 2022 class and highest ever under Beamer at USC.
Beamer and Maryland coach Michael Locksley both met with Barham late last week to make their final pitches, and Barham announced via Instagram that he picked the Gamecocks over schools like Penn State, Oklahoma, Arizona State, Arkansas, Baylor, Florida, Florida State, Notre Dame and Texas A&M.
Though not shocked, Beamer said he had spoken to Barham on Tuesday night and didn’t receive any indication from him or his mother that he’d flip his commitment.
“When you’re on the phone with a young man, and as recently and as late as 10:30, 11 o’clock last night, and he and the mom are telling you how they’re so thankful they found a home, how appreciative they are of how we do things, how they knew South Carolina was the place for him on his very first visit to South Carolina and how excited they are for the future, you feel pretty good about things,” Beamer said.
“So certainly with (Barham) some strange things happened overnight, which that’s a story for another day.”
This story was originally published December 15, 2021 at 4:50 PM.
