ESPN analyst Greg McElroy named the “Names you need to know” this year in college football on his Always College Football show Thursday. McElroy wants you to know these names, because while they aren’t popular now, they will be by the season’s end. The former Alabama quarterback named players from several programs, including the Michigan Wolverines.
“We will do the name Jaishawn Barnum,” McElroy said of his pick for the Wolverines. “He’s a linebacker, and if you talk to people around the program, this guy has been a quote–and I say this, quote, ‘Comparable to Devin Bush.’ He’s a complete havoc-wrecker,” McElroy said.
That astonishing comparison certainly makes you wonder about Barnum this season.
Michigan’s defense will have to replace a lot of production from last year. But there are still potential first-rounders on the field in Will Johnson and Mason Graham. If they get great production out of Barnum at linebacker, then they’ll be just fine. If he’s comparable to Bush, who was a star in college, then they’ll really be in a great spot.
The Wolverines will open the 2024 season against Fresno State on August 31 in Ann Arbor. They’re the reigning National Champions after winning the 2023 College Football Playoff this past January. Michigan defeated the Washington Huskies en route to that title victory.
