Trieu: 4-star Braiden McGregor says Michigan's new coaches 'awesome'
The Opening Regional in Ohio took place on Sunday and there were many Michigan targets and a couple of players committed to Michigan.
► Port Huron Northern defensive end Braiden McGregor was named by 247Sports as one of the top defensive performers there. McGregor was impressive physically and his quickness gave offensive linemen trying to block him great difficulty.
He will take an official visit to Notre Dame this weekend, then hopes to get back to Ohio State and Michigan before making a college decision. He noted building a relationship with Michigan’s staff additions — Josh Gattis, Anthony Campanile and defensive line coach Shaun Nua.
"Every single hire at Michigan has been a great hire," McGregor said. "I love all of them. I sat down and talked with Coach Gattis, and then Coach Campenile is awesome, Coach Nua is awesome. I've been talking to them on the daily. They're staying in contact and trying to get me up on another visit. On top of that, Coach Brown texts me almost every day, so we have a good relationship, too."
More: Top college football programs turn sights to Port Huron, Braiden McGregor
► Oak Park wide receiver Maliq Carr was very impressive, turning in one of the best ratings (a composite of various athletic tests) and earning positional MVP honors. Carr is down to five schools. Michigan is one of them, along with Notre Dame, Purdue, Texas A&M and LSU. He plans to visit Texas A&M in the near future.
► Muskegon athlete Cameron Martinez was right there as one of the best receivers during one-on-ones. That was a surprise to some observers, as he is a high school quarterback. He looked like he had been playing receiver his whole life though, as he ran routes and caught the ball confidently.
Martinez recently visited Michigan and Ohio State, two schools considered to be top contenders. A spring break tour this week, which will take him to several other Big Ten schools, should bring him more clarity. He also hopes to get to schools such as Penn State and Nebraska later in the spring.
Michigan is one of the schools who have discussed safety as a possibility with Martinez. While that may end up holding true, he looked like a high-level offensive prospect on Sunday.
► The running back MVP, Akron (Ohio) Hoban’s DeaMonte Trayanum, offensive line MVP, Harper Woods sophomore center Davion Weatherspoon, defensive line MVP Damon Payne of Belleville, defensive backs MVP Kalen King of Detroit Cass Tech, and the quarterback MVP, Buffalo (N.Y.) Canisius Prep sophomore quarterback Christian Veilleux all hold Michigan offers.
Michigan offensive tackle commit Giovanni El-Hadi of Sterling Heights Stevenson and West Bloomfield running back Donovan Edwards were among the other top performers from the 2021 class.
Edwards said he might be in Ann Arbor on April 13 for Michigan’s spring game.
► Groveport (Ohio) Madison junior Terah Edwards recently was offered by Michigan when he visited. Some schools see the 6-foot-4, 310-pound Edwards as a defensive tackle, but the Wolverines offered on the offensive line where he made the final five on Sunday.
“(Michigan) is not far from home,” he told The Michigan Insider’s Josh Newkirk. “It’s Big Ten ball. Their academics are good and I have the opportunity to play early.”
Michigan State, Kentucky, Iowa State and Northwestern are some of the other schools who have offered and are in contention. Ohio State has not yet offered, but the Buckeyes are interested and an offer would put them high on the list as well.
► 2020 running back targets Michael Drennen and Jutahn McClain both took part and were among the best in their positional group.
► 2020 safety Makari Paige has a Michigan offer and the West Bloomfield native had a good performance as well.
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.