Michigan linebacker Jaishawn Barham will be suspended for the first half of this week's game at No. 18 Oklahoma after a targeting call against him was upheld following appeal.
The Wolverines appealed the ruling, which occurred in the third quarter of Saturday's season-opening win against New Mexico, when Barham hit Lobos quarterback Jack Layne. The play initially looked like a fumble that Barham returned for a touchdown, but was ruled targeting because of a high hit. Targeting penalties in the second half of games trigger an ejection for the remainder of the game and the first half of the next game.
Michigan coach Sherrone Moore said Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti and A.J. Edds, the league's vice president of football operations, disagreed with the targeting ruling.
"It's a rule we have to get changed and have to look at in college football, just for the game," Moore said Monday. "The toughness of the game and how you want to teach tackling, how you want to teach guys that are 6-3, tackling a guy that's 5-8. He lowers his head, it may be even worse.
"That was the ruling, and we'll continue to work and fight for the game, but completely disagree with it, as did Tony and A.J. with the Big Ten. But we've got to move on."
Barham, who transferred from Maryland after the 2023 season, was one of Michigan's top defenders in 2024, finishing second on the team with 66 tackles and starting all 13 games. He had a sack and five quarterback hurries.
The Big Ten passed along the appeal to the NCAA, which ruled that Barham was correctly ejected for hitting a defenseless player. The helmet-to-helmet contact contributed to the ruling being upheld, even though Barham didn't lower the crown of his helmet to strike Layne.
Sophomore Cole Sullivan replaced Barham against New Mexico and shined with an interception, a sack and five tackles.
