Braiden McGregor Is On The Verge Of Breaking Out

Port Huron native Braiden McGregor was one of Michigan's biggest wins on the recruiting trail in recent memory. Powerhouse programs like Alabama, Clemson (at the time), Notre Dame, Oregon and many others wanted the big pass rusher badly. He ultimately chose Michigan but then tore up his knee partway through his senior season. That set him back once he arrived at Michigan and it's been an uphill climb ever since. Now, McGregor may be reaching the summit of what he's capable of as a player and he can't wait to keep climbing.

"I talk to Coach [Ben Herbert] Herb all the time about just mentality," McGregor said. "He helped me out a lot throughout that time when I was trying to break through the mental barriers of my knee, but I think it's helped me. I feel like it's made me stronger as a football player. 

"My mentality out there, like if you don't win a rep, you just go back, and it's not even a big deal. Everybody says it, but when you're playing at this level it's hard to just stay confident stay like that. But with Coach Herb and the strength staff and everybody around here that you talk to every day, it just gives you the confidence to be able to go out there and play the way you play."

And when McGregor plays the way he can play, it's noticeable. The 6-6, 267-pounder has recorded nine tackles, including three for loss and a sack, which he picked up against Nebraska over the weekend. He also tipped a pass into the air that was ultimately intercepted by Kenneth Grant. To put it bluntly, it's starting to click for McGregor.

"As long as a year goes on the play starts slowing down," McGregor said. "You just start feeling more comfortable out there. I think Saturday was really when I started feeling like midseason form. When you get there, you're like, 'Okay, I'm feeling good. Let's just keep building on this.'

"I spoke on it last last year of just being able to be in a position where I can make plays and be out there and with the way the defense is playing, I think I fit in that role and can make plays out there."

McGregor, and the defense as a whole, has been rounding into form and the talented pass rusher thinks it's because of a new philosophy introduced to the team by returning linebackers coach Chris Partridge. McGregor has been implementing the approach all season and he feels like it has really taken his game to a new level.

"I think one of the big things is when Coach Partridge came in he introduced these four pillars for us as a defense. We go through it every day from practice. We do them on Mondays when we review the game film. It's angles, effort, communication and block destruction," McGregor listed. "Each coach gets one of the pillars and so they bring up film, practice film and we go over that and I think that's something that's just helped us so much as a defense."

Whatever the defense is doing, it's working. You can see it in individual performances like with McGregor, Grant and Mike Sainristil, and you can obviously see it from the defense as a whole — a unit that hasn't given up more than seven points in any game this season. As McGregor and others continue to ascend, the entire defense will improve and that's quite a concept considering how good they've already been.