'Dark times' could lead Michigan football defender to a breakout season

Few recruits had the hype that Michigan football defender Braiden McGregor did when he first committed to the Wolverines. As a member of Jim Harbaugh’s 2020 recruiting class, McGregor was a four-star edge rusher, ranking as the No. 2 player in the state of Michigan out of Port Huron Northern. While McGregor has the talent and frame to compete at the highest level, injuries have sidelined this massive edge rusher thus far — though these “dark times” have made him stronger and could lead to a breakout year in 2023.

Injuries have sidelined this Michigan football defender, but that has made him stronger

Since Jim Harbaugh took over as head coach of the Michigan football program, the edge rusher position has been elite for the Wolverines. This year, with a lot of turnover across the entire defensive line, Braiden McGregor and others are finally going to get their chance to shine and are planning on making the most of it.

After injuries and more throughout his Michigan football career thus far, McGregor says he has trusted the process and is ready for his time to come.

“I think the number one lesson is to trust the process,” Braiden McGregor explained on Friday. “Coach Minter tells us that all the time — you’re gonna get your time, and when you get your time, you gotta shine. Just trust the process, know that you’re gonna be good one day, your knee is gonna feel better. I think that’s one of the big things. And just don’t take your time for granted, it goes by so fast. That first year, I barely remember anything of it.”

The long journey back could lead to a massive breakout season for Briaden McGregor

Michigan football defender Braiden McGregor has seen the greats that came before him — such as Aidan Hutchinson, David Ojabo, and many more, and is ready for his time. This fall, McGregor will be competing for a starting role at the edge rusher position and could be the next great defensive lineman to come out of the Michigan football program and head into the NFL Draft.

“It was a journey,” he continued. “Looking back at it, I wouldn’t change it for anything. I mean, it sucked at the moment, and I hated a lot of days as a freshman. But being where I am now, looking at this defensive and this team that we have, it’s just hard not to be excited about the season. For me, it’s just knowing that (he was) gonna be good one day and everything’s gonna be alright.

“Freshman year, there were dark times, but now everything’s getting brighter. David Ojabo told me my sophomore year, ‘take it day by day,’ and that’s really what I’ve been doing. I’ve been telling the younger guys that, ‘just day by day, keep getting better.’ And that’s what I’m trying to do; this camp is just stack days, and I continue to get better.

“You’re thinking, ‘Oh, I’m that guy’ out of High School, I’m gonna be able to go in and compete for a starting role,” McGregor continued. “And then as a freshman, you get here, and you’re like, ‘Okay, these guys are pretty good.’ But it was hard. You had Aidan (Hutchinson), you had Kwity (Paye), you had (David) Ojabo, all those guys. Seeing them play and then the injuries happened and it’s like, ‘Man, I wish I could be the next guy up but I’m just not cleared, I can’t do anything.’ But having the support system that I have around the building, at home with my family, and even my dog, being able to hang out with him when I go home, it helped out a lot. So it’s pretty easy some days, and some days were harder, but I’m happy that those days did happen.”