Commitment breakdown: Rivals250 LB Jaishawn Barham chooses Maryland

Linebacker Jaishawn Barham prefers to do his talking on the field. The Baltimore (Md.) St. Frances star stayed away from the limelight throughout his recruitment but college coaches around the country were clamoring to get his attention. Barham didn't take many visits, due in part to the extended dead period brought on by the pandemic, but he did take four official visits this season. Penn State, South Carolina, Maryland, and Oklahoma got him and his family on campus for the red carpet treatment.

Barham announced his commitment to South Carolina on Saturday but rumors were swirling that he was leaning towards picking Maryland. During the live stream of his commitment ceremony, Barham said he would be playing for the Gamecocks but that decision didn't hold for very long. Barham committed to Maryland, giving the Terps a marquee commitment in their 2022 class.

In the end, Maryland won out because of their need for linebackers, how comfortable Barham was in that environment, and his longstanding relationships with many of the current players, recruits, and coaches.

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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. Barham can overpower linemen as they try to block him on running plays or slip by them using his athleticism. He does an excellent job blitzing and is particularly effective at getting into the backfield when he's coming off the edge.

Getting Barham onboard is a major win for Mike Locksley and his staff. The Terps need more playmakers on the defensive side of the ball and Barham has a ton of potential. There was a consensus earlier in Barham's recruitment that he'd stay closer to home for college with Maryland or Penn State being the favorites but South Carolina made a big push in the later part of his recruitment and looked like they were in good shape after getting him onboard on Saturday. With all the linebackers Maryland has lost to the transfer portal in recent weeks, the importance of Barham's commitment can't be overstated. With this series of events, Locksley's recruiting skills in the Washington D.C.-Maryland-Virginia area known as the DMV really shined.