Michigan football officially announces pair of transfer portal additions
The Michigan Wolverines have officially added a pair of players out of the NCAA Transfer Portal in former Northwestern offensive lineman Josh Priebe and Maryland linebacker Jaishawn Barham. Both are expected to work out this winter and be ready to participate in spring football.
Priebe enters as a graduate transfer with one year of eligibility remaining, while Barham has two years of eligibility left. Both could compete for starting jobs this fall in Ann Arbor.
“We are excited to add a pair of competitors to our program,” Moore said in a statement released by Michigan. “Both have a great deal of game experience and have been key contributors for their respective Big Ten teams. We are prepared for them to put in the work this winter and are excited to see what they bring to our team in spring practices.”
Priebe started 12 games this season at Northwestern at left guard and could compete for a spot there next season with both Trevor Keegan and Zak Zinter moving on to the 2024 NFL Draft. Among his highlights this season included allowing zero pressures on 46 pass-blocking snaps in the season opener against Rutgers and following up with a performance against Minnesota with no pressures in 61 dropbacks.
During the 2022 season, Priebe started seven games and made eight appearances and made nine starts in nine games during the 2021 campaign. He was a three-star recruit and the No. 422 player in the country in the 2020 class, per the On3 Industry Ranking. The Niles, Michigan native held an offer from Michigan in addition to offers from Auburn, Boston College, Duke, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas State, Louisville, Miami (Fla.), Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio State, Purdue, Tennessee and Vanderbilt before committing to Northwestern.
Priebe’s addition will give Michigan some needed competition on the interior alongside players like Giovanni El-Hadi, Creg Crippen, Raheem Anderson and others that are expected to have larger roles in a revamped offensive line in 2024.
The On3 Industry Ranking had him at No. 145 overall in the 2022 class and he was the No. 11 linebacker in the country out of St. Frances Academy in Baltimore. U-M has had plenty of representation from that program over the years, headlined by players like running back Blake Corum and EDGE Derrick Moore, key cogs on the 2023 squad.
As a freshman, Barham tallied 58 total tackles and four sacks en route to earning Freshman All-American honors and honorable mention All-Big Ten consideration. His production dipped this season, but he still held a prominent role on the Maryland defense. He finished tied for second on the team in sacks with three and was first in quarterback hits with three. Barham had 37 tackles this season and recorded his first-career interception in Michigan’s 31-24 win over the Terrapins in College Park, which he grabbed in the endzone on an errant pass from J.J. McCarthy.
