Photo of Brandon McGruder (#41) courtesy of David Morris
BELTON — Brandon McGruder’s arrival to preseason camp earlier this fall came about a week later than most of his new teammates on the Crusader defensive line. He had summer classes to wrap up at Cisco College, delaying his first practice with UMHB to August 18, exactly two weeks before The Cru shifted from camp-mode to the regular season schedule.
It meant he had less time to get familiar with UMHB’s defensive schemes. Less days of practice to build chemistry with his fellow pass-rushers on the D-Line. And fewer opportunities to separate himself in the pursuit of playing time and a starting role heading into the season-opener against NAIA Bethel (TN).
But watching McGruder under the lights of Crusader Stadium in Week 1, nobody would’ve had any idea he had gotten a late start in camp. Quite the opposite. McGruder performed with the intensity and confidence of a program veteran, racking up five solo tackles, two tackles for a loss of 15 yards, and momentum-shifting strip-sack in the second quarter that created Te’Ron Brown’s 56-yard return for a touchdown on the fumble recovery. Needless to say, it was a memorable debut for the defensive end, who earned a spot on D3football.com’s Team of the Week in recognition of his efforts in the 30-23 win.
“As soon as I got here, I was being pushed,” McGruder recalled, noting how he quickly got acquainted with his new team a few weeks prior. “I unpacked my stuff, and went right to practice. It was great. I felt welcomed, and they were walking me through stuff from the first day I got here, showing me how everything worked.”
McGruder came to Belton by way of Cisco, a junior college program about 50 miles east of Abilene, where he played 15 games over the course of two seasons. That included a solid sophomore campaign last fall in which he tallied 22.0 tackles and 6.0 tackles for loss, becoming a more consistent threat for the Wrangler defensive front. It was also there that he developed the connection that ultimately brought him to UMHB, and to the success he experienced in The Cru’s season-opener. Cisco’s head coach during McGruder’s freshman year in 2023? Current UMHB offensive coordinator Stephen Lee.
“He told me he had a place for me to come play football,” McGruder remembered. “I came on a visit here, and right then I knew that this is what I wanted to do, and where I wanted to be.”
His potential to make an impact in the pass rush was evident from his film at Cisco, and as McGruder noted, the coaching staff didn’t hesitate to get him up to speed upon arrival in August. But to do what he did against Bethel, causing havoc in the backfield time and time again, McGruder also had to take it upon himself to give the extra effort to put him in position to have that sort of role in Week 1. There was nothing easy about it, but it revealed just how committed he was to being a reliable asset for the Crusader defensive front, as he worked himself back into game-ready shape.
“I had to, and I’m still, working to get back into good shape,” McGruder said. “Last semester I was doing online school and working a serving job, so I’ve had to push myself as hard as I can, even when I’m tired. It’s been tough, but I know where I can be physically and strength-wise.”
Challenges along the road have been intertwined with McGruder’s football career to this point, particularly during his time at Braswell High School. It was there that he had the experience of competing in District 5-6A, at the time one of Texas high school football’s most stacked districts. Sort of.
“I honestly really didn’t play too much in high school,” McGruder said in an interview with True To The Cru on Monday.
Make no mistake, it wasn’t due to a lack of talent or inexperience. Instead, injuries were to blame; season-enders that made his actual on-field time in a Braswell uniform very brief. Initially, he moved to Lufkin as a sophomore, where he played wide receiver for the Lufkin JV team in 2020. Then came a return back to Little Elm for his final two years of high school, and two seasons that began in promising fashion, but ended with McGruder sidelined for substantial portions.
“Junior year, I was playing for Braswell, got hurt, and then was out for the whole season. Senior year, they had me playing outside linebacker. I didn’t like it, and they moved me back to defensive end, where I had a great game. The following Monday, I got hurt in practice. Out for the rest of the season.”
Back-to-back season-ending injuries of that magnitude could have easily caused McGruder to hang up his cleats. It was quite a long stretch of being unable to contribute alongside his teammates as they battled against the likes of Allen (5 state titles since 2008), Guyer (2012, 2013 state champs), and Prosper (2008 state champs) in district play. But rather than turn away from the sport, he pursued it harder, choosing to accept the opportunity to play at Cisco.
“I had always known I wanted to play football,” McGruder said. “I had reached out to Cisco College, and sent them my film. They gave me a chance. So I guess it was all supposed to work out in the end.”
Even as his passion for football became clear early on, McGruder stayed well-rounded, finding success in something entirely different than what he did on the field: orchestra.
“I had moved up to Little Elm, and they had an orchestra program at the elementary school,” McGruder said. “I told my mom about it, and she said, ‘You should do that.’ So I did everything I needed to do to get into the orchestra program, and stuck with it all the way until my senior year of high school.
“I started off playing the viola in fifth grade. Then I switched to the double bass in sixth grade, and played that all the way up to senior year. It was fun.”
McGruder’s time in the orchestra may have come to a close in high school, but there are certainly similarities between that experience and the ensemble he is now part of on the Crusader defense. In the orchestra, every musician is tasked with playing their own instrument flawlessly to collectively produce a song in perfect pitch. On the defense, every position comes with its own role on any given play, and when done right, all 11 combine for a different kind of harmony, one that stifles the opposing offense. And they do it by everyone taking charge, constantly aiming to step up and make a play, something that will be necessary for UMHB against No. 16 UW-Whitewater on Saturday.
“We’ve been working hard,” McGruder said. “It’s been great. It felt good to be out there [against Bethel], playing in front of the fans.”
Saturday promises to be another opportunity for McGruder to excel in front of the home crowd. Whitewater comes to Belton with a 2-0 record, and this matchup between the nation’s sixth-ranked and 16th-ranked teams won’t just have the attention of those inside Crusader Stadium. It will also have the attention of those around the country as one of three ranked vs. ranked games on the national slate. McGruder and The Cru defensive line will no doubt be ready for an offense that averages 273 rushing yards per game and has put up 82 points over its last two games.
UMHB and UWW kick off at 11 a.m. CT on Saturday, with the game streamed on cruathletics.com and broadcasted over the airwaves on KMIL 105.1 FM. Stay tuned for more gameweek coverage on TrueToTheCru.com.
