CFP NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP: WASHINGTON VS MICHIGAN

January 6, 2024

Braiden McGregor

NRG Stadium

Michigan Wolverines

Press Conference

Q. What's it been like being a hometown kid and the reaction you've received heading into this game?

BRAIDEN McGREGOR: Yeah, it's been crazy. Obviously being a hometown kid and growing up watching the Rose Bowl and just all the Michigan history, it's kind of just insane that I won the Rose Bowl and now I'm here at the Natty.

A lot of support from back home. I have the 810 tatted on my back. So my (indiscernible) tweeted out something about it. It's been pretty cool.

Q. Before you went to Michigan, were there any people that said you don't have a chance at winning a title or anything like that?

BRAIDEN McGREGOR: Yeah, my high school coach was a big Notre Dame fan, and he kept pushing me to go to Notre Dame and I went on a couple visits there. Then we went there, and he was like, I hope the best for you, but if you guys play Notre Dame, I'm still going to root for you.

Just people like that that just mess around with you that obviously love you and show you that they do care, and they hope that you're going to win. But nobody expected us to have the three seasons that we've had back to back to back.

Q. Did you expect these three seasons you've had back to back to back?

BRAIDEN McGREGOR: Not really. I mean, after the first one we were like, okay, obviously we're a good team. Obviously after the first year, we had a great season and went to the Capital One Orange Bowl or whatever.

Then when we kind of just kept carrying it on to the next year, we're like, we are like that. We have built something strong here and the foundation with the young guys coming in being able to learn.

Just kind of when we have the leaders we do have on this team, it's kind of not really surprising that you do have the seasons that you do.

Q. The way last season ended and the start of this season to now, what was the toughest part of this year, the toughest moment or obstacle?

BRAIDEN McGREGOR: I would say the unknown. I feel like it was every day something new was happening, like from the program or just all the media that was coming out of everything. That was kind of tough, of just trying to stay focused. We got to Penn State and as soon as we landed, we found out Coach Harbaugh wasn't going to be with us.

I think just the little things like that. We stuck together pretty much this whole season as a team. And that's been a big thing for us is just stick together and whatever comes, we know we're going to be able to battle through it and come out on top.

Q. Tell me a little bit about your injury in high school and battling back from that to get to this point.

BRAIDEN McGREGOR: Yeah, that was the hardest thing I've ever faced. When it happened, I was supposed to early enroll and I was expecting spring ball and all that. As soon as I tore my knee up, I got surgery on it from a Michigan doctor or whatever. I felt like I was going to be back for spring ball. It was only going to be like six or seven months.

Then COVID happened, so I only really got three or four months of rehab on my knee. So then I had like three months without it, so it kind of set me back a little bit. Then my whole freshman year was just a wash because of the setback and all that.

But mentally it was really hard. But at the end of the day, I just kept focusing with the doctors and trusting them, and I guess really just grinding at getting the knee back and learning how to run again.

I'm happy that it did happen to me because it taught me a lot of things, but it sucked at the same time.

Q. What was the biggest lesson you learned from all that?

BRAIDEN McGREGOR: I would say trust the professionals. Whether it be your coach or a doctor or anybody that specializes in a field, trust them. They'll tell you you'll be back, you'll be good. But you have your doubts and you have people that doubt you, saying you're not going to be back to where you are. I would say trust them and just really believe in yourself.

At the end of the day, if nobody believes in you, you have to believe in yourself. That's been a big thing for me was I came here with a couple first rounders in front of me and people telling me my freshman and sophomore year, he's not ready, he needs to transfer. I kept betting on myself, believing in myself, and now look where I am.

Q. You guys have lost one game in two seasons. When you look at that one loss, considering the games you're playing, do you think (indiscernible)?

BRAIDEN McGREGOR: I mean, yeah. I think it could be. I think we didn't come out to play the way we played all season and the way we played this season. I feel like we were kind of looking ahead a little bit. We said we were locked in and focused, but I think at the end of the day, we were really so focused on Georgia with what they did to us the year before that we kind of looked past.

But I think we've shown that we are the No. 1 team in the country and that we don't really expect to lose. We expect to go out there and win.

I kind of look at it like that a little bit, yeah.

Q. When TCU played Georgia and got killed, did you have any reaction to that or did you not pay attention to that?

BRAIDEN McGREGOR: Yeah, I didn't watch the game. I saw it on Twitter and some ESPN stuff that was coming up. I didn't watch the game. We were actually in Florida for a little bit of a break before school started. I was soaking in the rays and hanging out and catching it and looking at the score. But I didn't want to focus on it because that should have been us.

Q. How much have you learned about the Michigan 1997 championship team?

BRAIDEN McGREGOR: We've learned a lot. They've turned on a couple different films from different games. They pulled out the Michigan-Michigan State game in '97 and how they went out there and killed them. The same with the Penn State game, I think we watched it before Penn State.

That's who we've been compared to this whole year is the '97 team. We had Charles Woodson come in and talk to us, and he told us about he hates hearing about the '97 team. He's ready for a new one. So I kind of wear the '97 hat, got it from my mom, and kind of wear it as like a symbol of like, okay, we appreciate what they've done, but now it's our turn.

Q. This are coaches showing you the film of those games?

BRAIDEN McGREGOR: Yep.

Q. Who's your favorite teammate?

BRAIDEN McGREGOR: My favorite teammate? Tyler McLaurin.

Q. Given everything that happened this year, the Big Ten (indiscernible), how do you feel about the conference now being able to claim Michigan's success and say look at how great the conference is?

BRAIDEN McGREGOR: Yeah, I would say bittersweet because obviously we wanted the support from our conference and the teams we have played. A shout-out to a couple coaches that right after we played them they were like, yeah, they were that good. But then you have other coaches that will try to go behind our backs and say stuff that may or may not be true. And then after wins, oh, yeah, they were a good team, or we're part of the Big Ten.

I don't really know like if anybody said anything, but at the end of the day, we are all part of the Big Ten and we support any Big Ten team that's playing in the bowl games, especially if they're playing SEC teams or whoever.

At the end of the day, we just want support from everybody else. But at the end of the day, we've done like that. You don't really need to make excuses and then now jump on.

Q. In some ways do you think all of that has made you guys stronger, a better team at this point in the season?

BRAIDEN McGREGOR: Yeah. I think it definitely did. I think it was like -- it was the first three games. When we had three different head coaches the first three games, we all just really locked in and were like, yeah, it's a head coach but we've got three different ones. Who cares, it's us going out and playing. They're going to make the play calls, but at the end of the day, we've got to go out and spot them or we've got to go out and score.

I think us as a team and our brotherhood we do have has really brought us close together. And you can see it when you walk around. Everybody loves each other. We all go to battle for each other.

At the end of the day, we're all we've got. Coaches can leave tomorrow and players obviously can too now, but we definitely all stay in contact, especially with guys even that left.

Q. Part of the culture right now for every program is how they handle NIL. How do you feel like Michigan has done as far as using NIL but also maintaining culture (indiscernible)?

BRAIDEN McGREGOR: I think everybody has talked about it since the beginning, is Michigan is doing it the right way? We're not just funneling money into recruits and stuff like that. And kind of a big thing for our locker room culture is if you're a playmaker, if you're a starter, you're the ones that are going to be seeing the NIL benefits.

So I think that's a big thing that is really good that Michigan is doing. We're doing it the right way and making sure that the people that are making plays on Saturdays are getting paid and not the five-star recruits that haven't done anything for the university yet.

But the Champions Circle, Valiant, they've done a great job and it's going to keep getting better as the years go on for the guys.

Q. You are one of a group of guys that are decision makers this year. I see you started up this fund the other day --

BRAIDEN McGREGOR: Yeah, we were all on the bus to the hotel after the flight, and we saw it -- and I think it was at like 53. And then at night, I looked and it was like 100 some, and I was like, wow. It just shows the kind of support we have and how the Valiant and the Champions Circle do such a great job of getting that out there to get money raised that quick.

Q. Nobody seems to be able to touch Michael Penix in the pocket. He moves around. He avoids the blitz. What do you guys do differently than Texas did?

BRAIDEN McGREGOR: Yeah, he's a really good quarterback. We played him in 2020, I'm pretty sure. We kind of know what to expect right now. He sits back in the pocket, he's going to make plays. If he rolls out to his left, he's going to make plays. He's a good scrambler.

It's a good offense. They live off explosive plays. When you have a D-line as deep as us that we can rotate and get fresh bodies in there and do what we're supposed to do, I think it's a big benefit for us going against an offensive line like that.

Q. You said 2020 (indiscernible); is there any talk of revenge? He's the only Indiana quarterback since 1987 to beat Michigan. Has that been discussed this week?

BRAIDEN McGREGOR: Not really. We've talked about it, just how they did win in 2020. But most of us that are on the team didn't play him. It's just like he's a sixth year. So I think it's my class and then the fifth- and sixth-year guys that have played him. I actually didn't play him, so this will be my first game against him.

Q. Talk about Washington's offensive line.

BRAIDEN McGREGOR: Yeah, so obviously they're the Joe Moore Award winners. We had that trophy in the building for two years, and our offensive line was pretty proud about it. I felt like when they got that trophy the first year, it kind of brought something new out in them, and the confidence and all that.

We kind of know what we're going to get with them just off their mindset. And I guess -- obviously they're Joe Moore Award winners, so we know we've got to bring it to them quick. Because if you get them confidence and get them rolling, it's just like our O-line that just keeps going and it's going to be hard to stop.

Q. (Indiscernible). How important is it for this defense to be able to get to Michael Penix?

BRAIDEN McGREGOR: Yeah, I think it's a big key. When he's comfortable back there, I think he makes really good plays. We need to get him uncomfortable. That's going to be one our of big-type things that we're going to do.

I mean, just cover the guys, give pressure. If we get back there and cause havoc kind of like we did against Alabama, I think it'll go well for us.

Q. If you had looked at the start of the season, would you have guessed you'd play Washington in the championship game?

BRAIDEN McGREGOR: You know, I wasn't really expecting to play Washington. There's a lot of good teams that could have been here. Obviously we played like Bama -- Georgia, they just got left out of the playoffs by two spots, Florida State. It's kind of like, wow, they really are 14-0, they did come through the Pac-12, beat Oregon twice, beat Texas. We know they're a good team. We know what to expect. I'm happy for them. It's going to be a good match-up.

Q. Going back to the comment about Washington's Joe Moore Award winning offensive line, do you feel as a defensive line any sense of pride in this match-up, to go out and show that maybe they weren't deserving of winning the award or proving anything like that?

BRAIDEN McGREGOR: Yeah, I think our O-line is the best in the country. I think it's shown year in and year out. I talk to my guys all the time. We expect to win that award. I mean, two years in a row.

But it's kind of like last week, everybody kept talking about how great Bama was, how big their O-line was, and we went out there and dominated them. We won the game on 4th down stop on the goal line and both our edge guys just knocked their tackles back.

I think playing a team that won the award, they obviously have that sense of confidence, and they think that they are the best O-line. And it's up to us to go out there and show them that our O-line is the best. So it'll be good.

Q. How strange is it to have the old Big Ten, you, play the new Big Ten, Washington, coming in next year?

BRAIDEN McGREGOR: Yeah, it's really weird. Think about teams from the West Coast that are going to come over and play in the Big Ten. I've been asked about it a couple times, about the commercial of the Big Ten when it shows all little dots and things like that.

So I just think everything is going to change. That's how college football is going now. So it's kind of insane to think that Washington, Oregon, USC, they're going to be in the Big Ten, because I grew up watching them late, late at night because it was Pac-12. But it'll be good for our conference. They're really good teams that are being added in.

Q. Have you ever been to Seattle?

BRAIDEN McGREGOR: I've never been. I heard it's cold and rainy. Mike Morris, he was a D-lineman here last year, he plays for Seattle. I asked him about it when he got drafted there. And he went out the first time and he's like, It's kind of like Ann Arbor. Just really gloomy and in the fall you don't really see much sunshine.

So I'll be excited to go there.

Q. A very good performance from the defensive line getting to the quarterback last week. How confident are you you can replicate that performance this week?

BRAIDEN McGREGOR: Right. I'm very confident. That is one of the best O-lines or technically is the best O-line that we're going to face. We watch them on film, they're really technically sound, really well-coached. I think coming out and trying and smack them in the mouth kind of the same way we did to Bama is going to be a big key for us.

The quarterback is going to try and sit back there and make a play, so if we can get back there in time and disrupt it -- even with pressures, it doesn't have to be sacks -- I think it'll work out well for us.

Q. Do you feel extra pressure to get home when you do blitz? I'm sure you've seen what they've done --

BRAIDEN McGREGOR: Yeah, I wouldn't say pressure. I think it's more of an exciting challenge to us. This is the best O-line in the country. Being able to get a sack on them or get pressure or just being able to go up against them, it's going to be a good challenge for us.

The whole D-line, the whole back end, everybody that's going to eventually blitz in the game is just excited for the whole opportunity.

Q. Some people say this Washington wide receiver corps is better than some at the NFL level and then you have Michael Penix (indiscernible). When you look at what Washington does offensively, they're averaging a lot of yards, averaging 40 points per game, what stands out from a schematic perspective about what they do well, and how does that go into your game planning?

BRAIDEN McGREGOR: Right. Obviously when you turn on the film, they live off explosive big plays, passing the ball. They pass the ball a lot. One of our things is they stop the run.

Obviously not going to try to run the ball as much. But when we do see the film of how he sits back there and when he has time, he can dice up defenses and really make all the throws on the field, he's got a cannon. So we've got to get back there as quick as possible.

Our DBs are ready. We've faced a lot of good wide receivers this year, Marvin Harrison and Emeka Egbuka, that's a good receiving corps, too. And I feel like we did really well against them. I know they're excited for the challenge and I know they can't wait, so I'm excited to watch them.