Port Huron (MI) Northern defensive end Braiden McGregor committed to Michigan on Friday evening. He picked the Wolverines over offers from Alabama, Clemson, Florida, and Notre Dame, among others.
McGregor is listed at 6’5″ and 248 lbs. As a junior in 2018, he made 99 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, 8 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, and 2 interceptions.
RATINGS
ESPN: 4-star, 86 grade, #2 ATH, #26 overall
Rivals: 3-star, 5.7 grade, #27 SDE
247 Sports: 4-star, 97 grade, #3 SDE, #28 overall
Hit the jump for more.
McGregor was offered by Michigan a little over a year ago. In the meantime, he picked up a bunch of other big offers and some recruiting hype, something that doesn’t come often for players in his neck of the woods. He wanted to take his time with the recruiting process, and he took a bunch of visits. When Greg Mattison left for Ohio State, that seemed to hurt Michigan’s chances of holding what seemed to be a sizable lead; but new defensive line coach Shaun Nua and the rest of the staff made him a priority, and they were able to hold off Notre Dame.
It must be fun to coach McGregor, who has the ability line up all over the field – defensive end, outside linebacker, tight end, wide receiver, etc. He has good size with the ability to pack more weight onto his frame. He has good initial quickness off the ball and solid change-of-direction skills to rush the passer. His closing speed is a positive, and he’s a violent hitter when he arrives.
On the negative side, being a jack of all trades means he’s a master of none. Right now he’s just a good athlete doing great things on the football field. His pass rushing technique (along with his technique at other spots) is pretty rudimentary. He needs to improve his hand placement and his pad level coming off the ball.
Overall, McGregor is a very good player with plenty of room for growth. Once he’s able to home in on one position – either defensive end spot – he will be able to refine some of his technique in order to improve his considerable talents. Normally, the #28 player in the 247 Composite is labeled as a 5-star, so if his ranking holds up, he’s considered be an elite talent. I expect him to play a backup role as a true freshman in 2020.
Michigan now has nine commits in the 2020 class, and McGregor is the first defensive lineman in the class. The only other Michigan player to come from Port Huron Northern is Brad Bates in the late 1970s, who went on to become a Division I athletic director.
TTB Rating: 90 (ratings explanation)
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Glad to have him!
Who’s your comparison Thunder? I’ve read wormley and hutch
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I think Hutchinson is a good comparison, but Hutchinson was more technically sound coming out of high school.
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Yooooooooooo. Huge get. Hate to put too high expectations on anyone but the comp I can’t help but think of is Rashan Gary. Hope he can continue the pipeline of excellence at the anchor position for Michigan.
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Beast. Very excited for UM and this commitment. Was always my #1 in-state recruit and think he’s going to turn out to be a big time player. Just because he’s a jack of all trades doesn’t mean he CAN’T be a master of some, just currently isn’t. A lot of people said that about JJ Watt too. He’s got the “it’ factor in this class that’s been otherwise average. This gives me some hope that we can hit a few home runs still. Need some skill guys like Henning. Overall I’d give McGregor about the same 90-91 rating on Thunder’s scale. Would not be surprised to see him get some major playing time as a freshman. By far the prize of this class and will probably stay that way.
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