Connection is Everything in MSU's Recruitment of 4-Star OT
Gregory Patrick is likely No. 1 on Michigan State's 2026 recruiting board.
The Portage Northern offensive tackle is the 16th-best in the 2026 class, per 247Sports, and he is the No. 174-ranked player in the nation. The Spartans are among his four hottest contenders, with bitter rival Michigan, Penn State and Notre Dame (a program that has recently been pilfering the state).
The Spartans cannot claim recent success. They haven't found that since the Mark Dantonio era's peak. They do not boast the richest NIL collective, either.
What the Spartans have is connections. First, there is Patrick's father, Joseph, who played for Michigan State in the late 1990s under Nick Saban.
Offensive line coach Jim Michalczik is the biggest piece. A position coach is the most important coach to most recruits, as they spend the most time with the player on a day-to-day basis. Perhaps only the strength and conditioning coach gets as much.
Patrick recently visited East Lansing on an unofficial, and he told SpartanMag's Jason Killop that the offensive line coach spent a good part of the day with Patrick.
"We went to the [Michigan State-Michigan] game and then actually went to the Dairy Store together,” Patrick said. “We got some ice cream after the game, so that was pretty cool. I sat with him the whole game and we spent a decent amount of time together before the game too.
“Coach M is a really down to earth guy. He has a real family feeling to him, just an awesome guy to be around. He’s a great coach with some years under his belt. He’s coached everywhere, so that is cool. He is an awesome dude. Anytime I get to be with him on visits, stuff like that, I really look forward to it.”
When I spoke to Patrick last summer after an unofficial, he mentioned an admiration for the coach's style and the culture he created with his linemen.
"Each player is like, holding each other accountable, you know, they're each coaching each other up," Patrick said. "It's not just Coach M. So that's like, one thing that stood out to me. Another thing that stood out to me was just like, how a family, friendly environment it is that Coach M has developed in the offensive line's culture, especially how tight all those guys are."
Michael France is Sports Illustrated's Michigan State recruiting beat writer, covering all things Big Ten recruiting for Spartan Nation. Be sure to follow him on Twitter/X@michaelfrancesi for exclusive Spartans recruiting coverage.
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