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EspañolNot once in his two years in Ann Arbor did outside linebacker Jaishawn Barham meet with the media. Had he been on either of the previous two teams, which were in the non-COVID era College Football Playoff, he would have been required to be available, but alas, such wasn't the case for Sherrone Moore's teams.
Now that he's preparing for life in the NFL, Barham spoke to reporters at the NFL scouting combine, and, as it turns out, he's quite insightful -- about football, about his role with the Wolverines, and about his position switch from linebacker to edge rusher this past year.
On that topic, Barham had a lot to say about how the move helped elevate his game. It took him half a season to learn how to play linebacker in Wink Martindale's system, but once he got it down, he was one of the better linebackers in the league. However, the staff wasn't content to let one of its bigger, most explosive players simply roam the middle of the field. In Week 3 in 2025, the Wolverines deployed Barham as an edge rusher, a position he held for much of the rest of the season.
And he relishes the opportunity to showcase both roles.
"I feel like it helped a lot," Barham said. "Being on the ball, it helps my feet a lot. Helps my eyes, helps me read coverages more. Being on the edge, it's a little like speed. It's a different speed at edge from off the ball. It brings a different speed to the tackles. They're not used to that usually from off-the-ball linebackers. And just the strength, being in the middle. Going back to edge -- going against tight ends. It's tough, they're not used to it."
Michigan is well known for putting defensive linemen into the NFL, but Barham is quick to note that the edge rushers have also been quite successful. The Wolverines brand has long been about building in the trenches and exporting them to the professional ranks -- a notion that isn't lost on Barham.
And given that Barham has worked at linebacker as well as edge rusher, he feels like that gives him a unique advantage as he moves onto the NFL.
"Not only the defensive linemen, but the defensive linemen on the edge, I feel like that kind of boosted me," Barham said. "Both on the inside and outside. Even though I always kind of played both, it was mainly third-down stuff, I feel like playing edge helped me a lot just to learn the game more, different aspects of it."
Ultimately, he's pleased with the development he received in Ann Arbor and how much Michigan has prepared him for what's to come.
"I feel like it's prepared me physically, mentally -- on the field and off the field," Barham said. "Just spending time with the guys there, just learning more. Working out at Michigan, it just prepared me a lot, on the field and off the field."
This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Jaishawn Barham's position change gives him NFL edge