4-star linebacker Jaishawn Barham visited by James Franklin

District Heights (Md.) St. Frances Academy Jaishawn Barham remains one of the top uncommitted linebackers in the 2022 class. Penn State head coach James Franklin would like to change that.

The Nittany Lions’ head man was in attendance Friday night to see Barham and his teammate Andre Roye, who committed to Penn State in September.

@coachjfranklin in Baltimore checking out @SFAfootball_MD as they host @STMCT_Football pic.twitter.com/jDhFZt5W3V

— SPOTLIGHT 39 (@Spotlight39_Pod) November 5, 2021

Barham is the No. 117 player and No. 11 linebacker in the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

Penn State was in on Jaishawn Barham early

The Nittany Lions were one of the first programs to offer Barham in January 2019 and have been on him ever since. He’s also amassed offers from South Carolina, Florida, Maryland and others. But his proverbial top three looks to be the Gamecocks, Terrapins and Nittany Lions.

Jaishawn Barham has taken official visits to all three this fall, the most recent being a trip to Maryland last weekend. Blue and White Illustrated’s Ryan Snyder believes the Nittany Lions are in great position to land Barham.

“It feels like Penn State sits in a good position, too,” Snyder said. “They’ve had some interesting recruiting battles with Maryland over the years and this feels like another one of them. Barham was actually just at Maryland this past weekend. Penn State wants to get him back on campus for its game against Michigan on Nov. 13. South Carolina and Florida are also in the mix, but I’d be surprised if he’s not playing in the Big Ten.”

Penn State currently holds the No. 7 class in the country, according to the On3 Consensus Team Recruiting Rankings. The Nittany Lions have 25 players pledged for the cycle. But with the NCAA’s recent ruling allowing schools to add seven more players to offset transfers, they could take as many as 32.