Gamecocks lose 4-star linebacker from class as Maryland flips Top 125 recruit
Jaishawn Barham isn’t signing with the Gamecocks after all.
The four-star linebacker from District Heights, Maryland instead flipped his commitment Wednesday and signed with the home-state Terrapins.
Barham committed to South Carolina on Saturday and, at the time, was the Gamecocks’ highest-rated commit in the 2022 class and highest ever under Shane Beamer at USC.
Barham is the No. 8 linebacker, No. 3 prospect from Maryland and No. 108 overall player in this year’s class.
Beamer and Maryland coach Michael Locksley both met with Barham late last week to make their final pitches, and Barham announced via Instagram on Saturday that he picked the Gamecocks. Other offers included Penn State, Oklahoma, Arizona State, Arkansas, Baylor, Florida, Florida State, Notre Dame and Texas A&M.
His flip to Maryland comes as a surprise, especially after the apparent connection he showed with USC defensive ends coach Mike Peterson.
“He’s a very passionate player, quiet and reserved to himself, but Jaishawn is a relationship type of guy, and Coach Peterson did a great job of recruiting him,” St. Frances coach Messay Hailemariam said when Barham committed. “I feel he was the difference maker. He built a rapport that was separate. You could tell that he was the strongest with him. You could see the glove fitting.”
Parham’s decision to flip comes just days after Beamer and the Gamecocks reeled in fellow four-star linebacker Stone Blanton out of Madison, Mississippi. Blanton officially signed Wednesday.
Other linebackers in USC’s class include three-star Donovan Westmoreland from Griffin, Georgia, and three-star Irmo standout Nick Emmanwori, who could also play safety for the Gamecocks.
The Gamecocks could lose as many as five of the 13 linebackers on their current roster, depending on the NFL Draft and postgraduate decisions.
This story was originally published December 15, 2021 at 8:17 AM.
