EXCLUSIVE: Intriguing OL Offer Talks MSU's Jim Michalczik
Michigan State is putting together its recruiting trail big board ahead of the official visit cycle and, sooner than that, spring ball; it is often during spring practices that programs are able to host a good number of prospects for unofficial visits, showing off everything from culture to the program's overall operation.
A recent recruit to come out of the winter contact period is three-star 2026 offensive lineman Grayson McKeogh of La Salle College in Glenside, Pennsylvania. McKeogh is a high-rated three-star, sitting with an 88 grade from 247Sports. The site lists the recruit as a defensive lineman and ranks him the 46th best in the class.
However, his home is on the offensive line, which is what the Spartans are recruiting him as. I spoke to McKeogh, who met Offensive Line Coach Jim Michalczik this past week when the coach visited La Salle.
"He was really an energetic guy," McKeogh said. "He was excited to meet me, and I was excited to meet him. He asked me for a tour around school, so we went. We walked around and then I was sat down, started talking. He was very upfront, very honest about the whole recruiting process and he's very wise. You could tell he's been around the game for a while."
Michalczik, who has experience at the NFL level, is one of the best builders of offensive linemen. At Oregon State, "Coach M" produced a first-round selection in Taliese Fuaga, an offensive tackle who was selected with the 14th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints. He started all 17 games for the Saints and was considered by some experts as a "can't-miss" prospect.
That label was developed by Michalczik, who spent two seasons as an offensive line coach for the then-Oakland Raiders and has a firm NFL lineage -- and pedigree.
That's not lost on McKeogh.
"Definitely has a lot of credibility, saying his opinions on things and it's just someone like him who's had that NFL experience you can trust him a lot more," he said. "Again, like he's just got good insights and it's very interesting getting to be able to talk to someone like that. ... You wanna keep that relationship going forward to play for someone like that."
McKeogh is an explosive athlete at 6-foot-8, 265 pounds. He has experience on both sides of the ball, and he has played all over the line.
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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