'His ceiling is so high': Michigan LB Jaishawn Barham, a 'freak show,' set to ascend in 2025

Michigan Wolverines football senior linebacker Ernest Hausmann is the leader of a talented and deep corps, with the privilege of starting next to a specimen in 6-foot-3, 248-pound classmate Jaishawn Barham.

Barham racked up 66 tackles last season and really heated up at the end of the year, highlighted by a 5-tackle, 3-quarterback pressure performance in a 13-10 win over Ohio State.

The sky’s the limit for Barham — who head coach Sherrone Moore described as a “freak show” —  in year two as a Wolverine.

“His ceiling is so high,” Hausmann said. “He knows it. Everybody knows it — the whole program — and we’re just so excited to see what he can do. With somebody that gifted with that size and that ability, all we have to do is put him in positions to make plays, and he’s gonna make a play.”

Added Hausmann: “Jaishawn is a freak athlete. You can see that just looking at him. You can see it in how he plays.”

Barham is notoriously quiet. He’s yet to speak with media during his time at Maryland (2022-23) and Michigan (2024-current), and his teammates have said he’s soft spoken. That’s made Hausmann’s communication and leadership skills even more important, allowing Barham to just attack and do his job.

“The thing I really appreciate playing with Jaishawn is he trusts me,” Hausmann said. “He truly does. He trusts me to navigate and communicate to him. As we’ve played together and gotten more comfortable, our trust has grown and our comfortability has grown. I think it’s gonna be awesome to see what we do in year two together, and I’m very excited about him.”

Sophomore Cole Sullivan is another Michigan linebacker of the “freak” variety, one that Moore said is “going to take the college football world by storm.”

On the taller end for a linebacker, the 6-foot-3, 225-pound Sullivan’s height, length, speed and physicality stand out.

“Cole Sullivan, when he first came in as a freshman, the first thing I noticed was his size, his build. He filled out really quickly,” Hausmann said.

Since then, the Michigan veteran has seen continual improvement from Sullivan, who logged 154 special teams snaps in 2024, the sixth-most on the team.

“To see his elite skill and growth from the first practice to now, I’m so excited to see what he’s gonna do this season going into his second camp,” Hausmann said of Sullivan. “I take it upon myself as a leader of the room — how can I get him to be as quick as possible?

“I’m very thankful that he was able to play, get snaps on special teams last year, and also get some reps at linebacker. We’re gonna need him at some point this year. It’s a long season. We don’t know what’s gonna happen, but we’re gonna count on him in a big way. We know he’s ready to take on that role because of how he prepares each and every single day. That’s something I really appreciate about him.

“You would never know — he’s going into his sophomore year — just how he works.”

Jimmy Rolder is Michigan’s ‘third starter’ at LB

The trust is there with senior Jimmy Rolder, too. The 6-foot-2, 240-pound Orland Park, Ill., native has battled injuries on and off throughout his career but earned significant playing time when healthy, including 200 defensive snaps last season. Rolder appeared in 12 games, registering 26 tackles with 1.5 for loss.

Rolder’s talent is immense, but he may have to wait until 2026 — his fifth year — to become a full-time starter. He’s stayed at Michigan and continued to improve, and Hausmann commended him for it.

“He’s done a great job of being not only a reliable person but also an example for other people to see — young guys,” Hausmann noted. “He’s someone that’s stuck through it. Because in this day and age, it would’ve been very easy for him to say, ‘Well, I’m very talented, and I can go somewhere else and be a starter.’

“But the decision for him to stay and stick it out pays dividends, and it just shows who he truly is as a person. I think he needs more credit than people give him, because who he is as a person is so incredible.”

Michigan will look to utilize more three-linebacker sets this season, but he’ll also rotate in quite a bit regardless.

“What I’ve seen about Jimmy is the same guy I’ve seen since I’ve gotten to the University of Michigan,” Hausmann explained. “He’s someone that just works so hard, very hard. He doesn’t say much; he just goes about his business, and you know exactly who he’s gonna be on the field every single day. You don’t have to worry about him at all.

“He’s very versatile. He plays both positions. He knows both of them, inside and out, and executes them at a high level.

“To have that is so valuable. We treat him like a third starter because he truly is a third starter.”