U-M's Barham flagged for head-butting official
Jake TrotterNov 29, 2025, 01:47 PM ET Close Jake Trotter is a senior writer at ESPN. Trotter covers college football. He also writes about other college sports, including men’s and women’s basketball. Trotter resides in the Cleveland area with his wife and three kids and is a fan of his hometown Oklahoma City Thunder. He…
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Jake Trotter
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan linebacker Jaishawn Barham was flagged for heat-butting an official Saturday during the first quarter against Ohio State — but he was not ejected.
The unsportsmanlike penalty happened after the Wolverines forced a third-and-goal from the 5-yard line. Barham was speaking to the official when he lowered his helmet into the official’s nose.
The penalty gave Ohio State an automatic first down at the Michigan 2-yard line. But the Wolverines still forced the Buckeyes into settling for a field goal.
According to the NCAA rulebook, “intentionally contacting an official” results in an “automatic ejection.”
