South Carolina football trending for top LB target Jaishawn Barham

South Carolina football is wrapping up the early signing period for the 2022 recruiting class. With less than a week to go before high school prospect ink their signatures, the Gamecocks are keying in on a few final missing pieces.

One of those is a big-time defender from the state of Maryland. Jaishawn Barham recently announced that he’ll be making his college decision this Saturday in a race that’s come down to South Carolina, Oklahoma, Maryland, and Penn State.

Barham is a top 100 player according to Rivals as well as the nation’s seventh-best linebacker prospect. The Gamecocks seem to be picking up some steam in his recruitment with two of the site’s experts giving predictions in favor of South Carolina.

Over at 247 Sports, the crystal ball predictions are rolling in, too, signaling that Barham’s decision may already be made. He posted earlier this week on Twitter with a pro-Gamecock video that seemed to hint at a South Carolina commitment.

Barham would immediately add both talent and depth to a linebacker group that’s lacking. The Gamecocks are losing a number of contributors through either transfer or graduation. The team learned that Rosendo Louis and Jahmar Brown have entered the portal while seniors Sherrod Greene, Damani Staley, and Brad Johnson could be on their ways out, too.

The Gamecocks’ current class is filling this need, and it would look even better with Barham in the boat. As it stands, three-star prospect Donovan Westmoreland and four-star athlete Nick Emmanwori will both help out at linebacker next season. Adding Barham would be even sweeter.