2020 MI DE Braiden McGregor Could See Himself At Notre Dame
2020 Port Huron Northern (Mich.) defensive end Braiden McGregor made his first trip to Notre Dame in April and left with an offer after spending six hours on campus.
The 6-foot-5, 220-pounder returned for a two-day visit over the weekend, which included working out at Notre Dame’s Elite Skills Camp on Saturday.
“I met with Coach Elston and his family when we got there on Friday,” McGregor told Irish Sports Daily. “We watched Kofi Wardlow, Daelin Hayes, Kurt Hinish and Khalid Kareem work out with Coach (Larry) Black Jr.
“We then had a two-hour dinner talking with those guys and picking their brain about how Notre Dame was for them. I did the camp on Saturday and then hit the road.”
The time spent with the four players was a significant moment for McGregor as he was able to see how well he fit in, but also that they had a similar mindset.
“I definitely feel I could fit in well with those guys after talking with them,” said McGregor. “I noticed they are all kind of the same and that’s what Coach Elston told me about them. They have the same personalities, and that’s what Notre Dame tries to recruit. They want guys that fit in well together
“During the dinner, I was asking them questions about the housing situation and stuff like that. I could see myself doing what they were doing.”
Michigan isn’t too far from Notre Dame, but McGregor gained a sense of comfort with the program after talking with Hayes and Kareem, who are fellow Michigan natives.
“Hearing why they picked Notre Dame made me realize this could be me,” McGregor stated. “It does feel like a good spot for me if I ended up committing to Notre Dame.”
At Saturday’s camp, Elston gave plenty of attention to the Port Huron Northern standout as he was with McGregor or McGregor’s family for almost the entire camp.
“He really kept hammering home they wanted me bad at Notre Dame,” explained McGregor. “He explained how I could fit into the system and I could be a contributor my freshman and sophomore season.”
Elston also pulled McGregor away from the camp to work him out in private, and it was an opportunity the three-star prospect was incredibly grateful for as he learned a ton in a short amount of time.
“It was really cool to work out with Coach Elston, Coach Black, and Jerry Tillery,” McGregor said. “I got to see how Jerry does certain things and I learned how to use my hands a lot better. I learned a lot of moves. I’ve never played defensive end before, so talking to them and getting to see six or seven moves was awesome.
“I got to see how good the moves are because I got to see a video of every single move in practice and games.”
On his first visit, McGregor was blown away by how personal the Notre Dame staff made the visit, and he wasn’t expecting the second visit to top it.
“I didn’t think a visit could get more personal than my first visit, but this visit was even more personal,” stated McGregor. “I got to meet the coaches families, and they got to meet my family. I thought it was pretty special because I’ve never had a coach want to do that and go out to dinner with us.
“It was cool to have the experience to talk with the players and the coaches. It was really nice.”
The Notre Dame staff didn’t just impress McGregor on this visit, but his parents were also equally impressed with the time Elston and the rest of the staff gave them.
“They really liked it there,” McGregor said. “They really like Coach Elston and his family. Just seeing them talk to Coach Elston’s family, I was like ‘Wow, this would be a good spot for me.’”
When it comes to the rest of summer, McGregor has some significant visits planned over the next month.
“I’m going to Ohio State on Tuesday, and then I’m going to Michigan next Saturday,” McGregor stated. “I will go to Alabama sometime in July.”
McGregor isn’t in a hurry to make a decision, but he does have a tentative timeline planned out for his recruitment.
“I’m hoping to come out with a top list after my junior year,” said McGregor. “I’m planning to commit around this time next year. I want to go on official visits, but I don’t want to commit too early and not see other places.
“I have good offers and good options now, but I definitely want to take a couple of official visits to schools I wouldn’t be able to see. I want to go through the whole recruiting process because you only get to go through it once and I don’t want to rush it.”