The Wolverine

June-July 2019

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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40 THE WOLVERINE JUNE/JULY 2019   COMMITMENT PROFILE P ort Huron (Mich.) Northern three-star strongside defensive end Braiden McGregor trimmed his more than 30 offers down to a pow- erful top 10 consisting of Alabama, Clemson, Florida, LSU, Miami, Mich- igan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Or- egon and Penn State on April 1. The 6-6, 250-pounder was atop Michigan's wish list for a long time, but was very high on everyone else's as well. The Great Lakes State native could have committed to any school in his top group, but ultimately knew that he was destined to become a Wolverine. "It was just the people there," Mc- Gregor said after announcing his pledge May 24. "It's great academ- ics, great football and then the people there. My future coaches are great guys; every single one of them is awesome. "It was always Michigan. Growing up in Michigan, being a Michigan kid, that's who I rooted for when I was younger." McGregor had been a top target for Michigan long enough to be one of former defensive line coach Greg Mattison's biggest wants. When Mattison went to Ohio State, many thought that U-M's chances to land McGregor might've went with him. Then Jim Harbaugh hired Shaun Nua. "As soon as Coach Nua got hired in that's when I knew that Michi- gan was going to be it, for sure," McGregor said. "He was just an awesome guy from the beginning. Talking to him and getting to know him was like, 'Wow. This guy's going to be my coach.' Just the way he talks to you is awesome." Second-year tight ends coach Sher- rone Moore also played a pivotal role in landing McGregor, especially when Mattison left and before Nua arrived. He ran point on McGregor, giving the young assistant another big win on the trail after spearhead- ing five-star Daxton Hill's recruit- ment last year. "Coach Moore was obviously a huge part of my recruitment," Mc- Gregor said. "He's just an awesome guy. He's genuine, and everything he says, he means. He's not going to tell me lies. That's a big thing with Michigan. I haven't been told one lie, and that's huge for me. "He also told me that I could come play tight end for him. That was re- ally a joke we had since the begin- ning. I was still deciding if I was a tight end or a D-end so having both [Nua and Moore] recruit me was a blessing for sure." There are a lot of reasons Michigan wanted McGregor so badly. He's a phenomenal young man off of the field and has a great support system consisting of outstanding parents, sisters he's close with, grandparents, and a Port Huron community full of friends. He's also a stud on the field. As a junior, he recorded 99 tackles, eight stops for loss, two interceptions and a sack. He wasn't used much on offense, but still had six catches for 99 yards and three scores. He was named to The Detroit News and Detroit Free Press All-State first teams for Division 1-2. He also made his way onto the USA Today All- Michigan first team. While Rivals.com lists McGregor as a three-star prospect, the No. 13 player in Michigan and the No. 27 strongside defensive end in the na- tion, 247Sports has a much higher opinion of the future Wolverine. The site ranks him as the top prospect in Michigan, and the No. 3 strong- side defensive end and No. 28 overall player in the country. — Brandon Brown Wolverines Beat Out Powerhouses For Braiden McGregor FILM EVALUATION Strengths: Braiden McGregor has terrific length and overall athleticism. He's all of 6-6 and runs like a deer. He's got good strength and bends well while main- taining his speed and burst off of the edge. He was recruited by Alabama to play tight end, which obviously means the kid can run and move well in space. He doesn't seem to have any limitations on the field, and that's why so many schools wanted him. Areas Of Improvement: McGregor needs to work on disengaging once big linemen get their hands on him. It doesn't happen often, but when it does, he can get a little stuck. He's got the tools and just needs to hone some of the finer details. Michigan Player Comparison: McGregor looks like a slightly bigger, more athletic version of Craig Roh (2009-12) with an even higher upside. That's re- ally saying something because Roh was a 6-5, 230-pounder ranked as the No. 7 weakside defensive end and No. 156 overall player nationally coming out of high school. McGregor is 6-6, 250 pounds with a year of high school football left and should finish the cycle as, at least, a four-star prospect. Roh had a solid career at Michi- gan (150 tackles and 26.5 sacks), started a program-record 51 straight games and was named second-team All-Big Ten by the coaches in 2012 — but many think McGregor has a chance to be special. — Brandon Brown McGregor, a 6-6, 250-pound defensive end, picked U-M from an offer list that included Alabama, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Clemson, LSU and Penn State. PHOTO BY BRANDON BROWN McGregor "It was always Michigan. Growing up in Michigan, being a Michigan kid, that's who I rooted for when I was younger."

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