The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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MARCH 2024 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 29 ❱ MICHIGAN FOOTBALL U-M officially added a pair of players out of the NCAA Transfer Portal in former Northwestern of- fensive lineman Josh Priebe and former 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 eligibil- ity left. As of Feb. 9, Michigan's two-man transfer portal class ranks 30th in the nation, according to the On3 Trans- fer Portal Rankings. Priebe is 728th in the 2024 transfer portal class and a three-star addition, while Barham is 54th and a four-star player, per the On3 rankings. "We are excited to add a pair of com- petitors to our program," head coach Sherrone Moore said in a statement released by Michigan on Feb. 8. "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 last season at North- western 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. His highlights in 2023 included allowing zero pres- sures 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 he posted 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, Mich., 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 be- fore committing to Northwestern. Priebe's addition will give Michigan some needed competition on the inte- rior alongside players like Giovanni El- Hadi, Greg Crippen, Raheem Anderson and others who are expected to have larger roles in a revamped offensive line in 2024. The On3 Industry Ranking had Bar- ham 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 4 sacks en route to earning Freshman All-America honors and honorable mention All-Big Ten consider- ation. His production dipped last season, but he still held a prominent role on the Maryland defense. He finished tied for second on the team in sacks with 3 and was first in quarterback hits with 3. Barham had 37 tackles last season and recorded his first-career interception in Michigan's 31-24 win over the Ter- rapins in College Park, which he grabbed in the end zone on an errant pass from J.J. McCarthy. — Anthony Broome TWO WOLVERINES ENTER PORTAL Two Michigan Wolverines football players have entered the NCAA transfer portal since head coach Jim Harbaugh departed for the NFL's Los Angeles Chargers, with junior safety Keon Sabb being the latest on Feb. 16. Reserve defensive tackle Reece Atteberry entered Jan. 30. Michigan players can put their names into the database through Feb. 23 since they had a coaching change. Three days after entering the portal, Sabb en- rolled at Alabama. He has three seasons of eligibility remaining. He redshirted as a freshman in 2022 and started five of 14 games in 2023. His 360 defensive snaps ranked 14th on the Michigan defense. In 2023, the 6-foot-1, 208-pounder totaled 28 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 2 interceptions (including a pick six at Minnesota Oct. 7) and 6 pass breakups. He started three of the first four games of the sea- son due to injuries to both graduate Makari Paige and junior Rod Moore. When Paige and graduate Quinten Johnson were banged up for the national championship game Jan. 8 against Washington, Sabb stepped up and shined on the biggest stage. He missed a tackle early in the game but graded out as Michigan's best coverage defender, according to Pro Football Focus (81.3). He was targeted 7 times, allowing 3 receptions for 28 yards with 2 pass breakups — including 1 pass that he broke up in the end zone on third down, forcing Washington to kick a field goal. His 80.0 overall grade against the Huskies was the fourth- best overall and led all non-defensive linemen on the defense. Sabb was a four-star recruit in the 2022 class. Per On3, he was the No. 87 overall player and eighth- best player nationally, along with the No. 13 pros- pect in Florida, hailing from Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy. Sabb is a Glassboro, N.J., native. Atteberry, a senior, was converted from offensive line to defensive line in the beginning of the 2023 season. He finished with 3 tackles and a QB pres- sure in 14 games played. The former three-star recruit has two years of eligibility remaining. — Clayton Sayfie U-M Officially Inks Pair Of 2024 Football Transfers Former Northwestern offensive lineman Josh Priebe started 12 games in 2023 at left guard, and he could compete for a spot at that position on the U-M line in the upcoming season. PHOTO COURTESY NORTHWESTERN ATHLETICS Maryland transfer Jaishawn Barham tallied 58 total tackles and 4 sacks at linebacker en route to earning Freshman All-America honors in 2022. He was an honorable mention All-Big Ten pick in 2023. PHOTO BY BRIEANNA ANDREWS/MARYLAND TERRAPINS