2020 Four-Star DE Braiden McGregor Updates Recruitment
Notre Dame has impressed 2020 Port Huron Northern (Mich.) defensive end Braiden McGregor since the first time he was on campus last spring and continued to do so on Thursday evening.
Irish defensive line coach Mike Elston made his way up to Port Huron Northern to watch McGregor’s lacrosse game and while the NCAA prevents contact between the player and coach, Elston had a surprise for the four-star prospect.
“It means a lot,” McGregor said of Elston attending his game. “Coach Elston and I have a great relationship. We’ve stayed in contact since the first time we talked. Seeing him in the No. 17 jersey was pretty sweet.
“He texted me a picture of it earlier in the day, but I thought it was photoshopped. I saw him roll up to the field with it on. It was pretty cool.”
It was Elston’s second trip to Port Huron during the spring evaluation period as the Irish continue to battle Michigan, who hosted McGregor for an unofficial visit a few weekends ago.
“It was a good trip,” stated McGregor. “Getting back to one of my schools was good as well as getting around the players. It was a shortened version of the Notre Dame visit.
“I got what I wanted out of it. Both teams have really good guys. I could see myself hanging out with the players at both schools. It’s one of the reasons both schools are in my top group.”
The 6-foot-6, 250-pounder will head to Florida next weekend for his second official visit and while Gainesville might be further away, McGregor admitted he felt something when he was on campus in March.
“When I was there for three hours, there was just something there,” explained McGregor. “When I walked in The Swamp, there was something that I liked. When they offered to go on an official visit, it was a no-brainer. Coach (Dan) Mullen and I stay in contact every day.”
Mullen has been aggressive in his recruitment of McGregor and it has led the two to become close when it comes to football and life off the field.
“He’s a super cool guy and really energetic,” McGregor stated. “He’s not all about football, which I really like. He talked about Disney World with my sister for 30 minutes. He’s a coach I like and a coach I can relate with.”
Ohio State could potentially get McGregor’s last visit at the beginning of June before he makes his decision, but Notre Dame remains in good shape with McGregor as he's noticed the momentum on the recruiting trail.
“I love Rylie Mills,” said McGregor. “I like a lot of other recruits a lot too. Drew Pyne and I FaceTimed the other night for an hour and a half. They are really cool guys and I like them a lot. It means a lot having guys there I can relate to, especially Rylie, because he will be on the opposite side of me.”