Michigan EDGE Braiden McGregor puts 'dark times' behind him in pursuit of breakout season
Michigan football has a deep and talented rotation of players at EDGE heading into the 2023 season, and senior Braiden McGregor should be a huge factor. But the opportunity he has this season has been one he had to fight and persevere for.
It was tough for him to find the field early on in his Michigan career, not seeing the field as a freshman in 2020 and nine appearances in 2021. Last season, McGregor appeared in all 14 games with three starts and 2.5 sacks.
In 2023, he could be one of the go-to guys on the field for the Michigan pass rush.
“Looking back at it, I wouldn’t change it for anything,” McGregor said. “It sucked in the moment and I hated a lot of days as a freshman. Where I am now and looking at this defense and this team that we have, I mean… It’s just hard not to be excited for the season.
“For me, I guess it’s just knowing that you’re going to be good one day and that everything’s going to be alright. Freshman year, there are dark times, but now everything’s getting brighter. David Ojabo told me my sophomore year to take it day-by-day.
“That’s really what I’ve been doing. I’ve been telling the younger guys that just day by day, uh, keep getting better. And that’s what I’m trying to do this camp is just stack days and continue getting better.”
McGregor suffered a torn ACL coming out of high school, and then had to work his way up from the bottom of the depth chart at Michigan. Those were tough days to deal with, but he came out clean on the other side.
“You’re thinking, ‘I’m that guy out of high school, I’m going to be able to go in and compete for a starting role,’ McGregor said. “And then as any freshman, you get here and you’re like, ‘Okay, these guys are pretty good.’ It was hard. You had Kwity [Paye] you had Ojabo, all those guys. Seeing them play, and then the injuries happen, and then it’s like, ‘Man, I wish I could be the next guy up, but I’m just not cleared.’ I can’t do anything.
“Having the support system that I have around the building at home with my family, and my dog, being able to hang out with him when I go home, it helped out a lot. It was pretty easy some days, and some days it was harder. I’m happy that those days did happen.”
McGregor is expected to be one of the leaders at EDGE for the Wolverines along with classmate Jaylen Harrell, junior Josaiah Stewart and sophomore Derrick Moore.
