Trieu: Michigan target Braiden McGregor says decision will come down to 'feel'
One of Michigan’s clear top recruiting priorities, Port Huron Northern defensive end Braiden McGregor, will announce his college decision Friday.
McGregor is not talking to media prior to his decision and neither is anyone in his inner circle, so Wolverine fans likely will be in suspense until that night.
The same goes for Notre Dame fans. McGregor has taken an official visit with the Irish and they are considered to be neck and neck with Michigan.
“I think everybody thinks it’s still a Notre Dame and Michigan race and it is, but there are a couple dark horses,” McGregor told The Michigan Insider’s Brice Marich a week ago during what will be his last published interview until his announcement.
McGregor was offered by both Notre Dame and Michigan in April 2018. Both offers came during on-campus visits. The Irish offered on April 10; Michigan followed up two weeks later.
“When we got in the car we all just sat there and I said, ‘I cannot believe I just got offered by Michigan!’” McGregor said at the time. “My mom and dad were like, ‘yeah, it’s unbelievable.’ I called my grandparents and my grandma started to cry because she was so happy for me. My grandpa was real proud of me too.”
At that time, McGregor was just getting on the national radar. After a junior season in which the 6-foot-5, 248-pound athlete recorded 99 tackles (13 for loss) and eight sacks as well as made highlight-reel plays as a tight end on offense, he blossomed into one of the top recruits in the country.
Now an Under Armour All-American, McGregor is ranked by 247Sports as the No. 27 overall prospect in the country. He has other offers from Alabama, Ohio State, Florida, Florida State, Clemson and more.
More: Top college football programs turn sights to Port Huron, Braiden McGregor
He has a chance to be an impact player no matter where he goes.
“I think the main things are the relationships and the feel,” he said. “I think that’s kind of a huge thing for me as well. I guess it all comes down to feel because both schools are going to be great, both have great academics, I have great relationships at both schools, so I think it’s going to come down to the feel and how I feel on campus and how comfortable I feel with the coaching staff. Being on a huge campus or being on a smaller is kind of another thing for me too.”
At 7 p.m. Friday, the colleges, fans, and everyone else will know where McGregor is headed. Until then, it will stay under wraps.
UM hosts 4-star offensive tackle
Winnetka (Ill.) New Trier offensive tackle David Davidkov, a four-star prospect in the 2021 class, visited Ann Arbor on Saturday.
The 6-foot-6, 265-pound Davidkov came in already holding an offer from the Wolverines.
Penn State, Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota, Oregon and more also have offered.
While Davidkov does not have a favorite or narrowed list yet, he said Michigan was “definitely up there” in comparison with other schools he has visited.
He plans to return to Ann Arbor either this summer or in the fall for a game.
UM offers 4-star sophomore DT
Michigan has extended an offer to James Gillespie, a 6-foot-2, 260-pound defensive tackle from Woodbridge (Va.).
Only a sophomore, Gillespie is ranked as a top 10 defensive tackle in the country by 247Sports and has eight other offers, including Maryland and Penn State.
If that high school sounds familiar, that is because Michigan heavily recruited defensive lineman Da’Shawn Hand out of that school in the 2014 class. He ultimately signed with Alabama and is now with the Detroit Lions.
More information
Allen Trieu covers Midwest football recruiting for 247Sports. He has been featured on the Big Ten Network on its annual Signing Day Show. His Michigan and Michigan State recruiting columns appear weekly at detroitnews.com.