ANN ARBOR >> Linebacker Jaishawn Barham, who transferred to Michigan from Maryland in the offseason, and Terrapins coach Mike Locksley said there are no hard feelings.

This is the new world of college athletics, after all, and players freely transfer to and from programs.

Barham, a 6-foot-3, 248-pound junior, was a two-year starter for the Terps and is projected to start for the Wolverines this fall. He was Maryland’s top recruit in the 2022 class and started 23 games the past two seasons.

As a freshman, he had 58 tackles with four sacks, was named a Freshman All-American by College Football News and earned All-Big Ten honorable mention. Last season in 11 games, he had 37 tackles, including three sacks, and one interception, which came against Michigan and former quarterback J.J. McCarthy. He earned conference honorable mention honors again.

“It’s the NFL. We are more NFLish and those things happen,” Locksley said at Big Ten Media Days when asked about Barham. “I always say, the portal giveth and the portal taketh. To have Jaishawn in our program, he brought value and he did some great things and played a major role in putting us in this position.

“Kids, and sometimes coaches, make decisions — the fit isn’t the fit for me. I’d rather a kid leave than stay and not be bought in or all in. I’m not saying Jaishawn wasn’t, but kids leave for whatever reason they decide to leave. I have no problem with it. It’s the nature of the beast. I’m wish them well and try to get another one.”

Michigan is replacing linebackers Junior Colson and Michael Barrett, last season’s leading tacklers for the Wolverines who moved on to the NFL. Ernest Hausmann, who transferred before the 2023 season after playing as a freshman for Nebraska in 2022, and Barham are expected to fill those voids.

Hausmann played in all 15 games at linebacker last season and was third on the team with 46 tackles. Despite a coordinator change to Wink Martindale, Hausmann entered this season with a strong understanding of the defensive playbook. Barham’s work in the offseason and spring practice involved studying what Martindale plans to implement.

“He’s grown in his understanding of the package, his knowledge of the package,” Martindale said this week before camp opened Wednesday. “I think he’s a very good athlete with a mean streak in him, and that’s perfect for being a linebacker.”

During the spring, linebackers coach Brian Jean-Mary highlighted the fact Barham already has Big Ten experience and acclimated quickly to Michigan. The key was having him learn the defense, and Jean-Mary said they accelerated the learning process because he arrived with such a strong foundation.

“We’ve thrown him in, and we didn’t throw him in the shallow end. We threw him into the deep end,” Jean-Mary said in April. “He’s been running with the first team and he has a standard he knows he has to live up to. He’s done a good job.

“We’d love him to be more vocal as a linebacker because that’s the standard that’s been set here. He’s working toward it. He’s not the most outgoing kid, which there is nothing wrong with that. For us to reach the levels we need to reach, we need him to be able to communicate more and be more open that way. I think he’s got a chance to be a really good football player here.”

Locksley saw what kind of player Barham was at Maryland and said he has tremendous upside.

“Dynamic football player,” Locksley said. “The game comes natural. The instincts are natural. One of the areas you’ll see him probably improve in, he has the ability to be a pass-rusher. He loves the game, he plays it physical. Smart football player, instinctive, all those attributes that made us recruit him and he developed and did some great things in our program. Wish him well.”