Big News From Elite MSU Football Legacy, Jonathan Smith Target
The Michigan State Spartans had a busy weekend when it came to the 2026 recruiting class, offering several top targets at SpartanDawg Con. The Spartans recently received big news from another 2026 target.
Four-star offensive lineman Gregory Patrick announced his Top 9 schools and Michigan State made the cut. The other eight teams included Alabama, Michigan, Oklahoma, Penn State, Notre Dame, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Nebraska.
Patrick has visited East Lansing unofficially, and like many offensive line recruits, he is fond of coach Jim Michalczik. He found "Coach M" to be a "super genuine guy." When Patrick visited, he was impressed by the culture and the players' interactions with one another on the field.
"Each player is like, holding each other accountable, you know, they're each coaching each other up," Patrick had told me. "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. ... [Michalczik] also talks about life in general, not just about football. So, I'd say he's just overall a really good guy."
Patrick had recounted his visit to me.
"I watched [the team] do [organized team activities] and kind of hung out and talked to them for a while," Patrick said. "I talked to some of the players, I'd say I've developed a pretty good relationship with a lot of the players."
Patrick's father, Joseph, played at Michigan State for Nick Saban. His uncle played at Nebraska. Patrick's father could play a huge role in helping the Spartans land the commit, if Patrick wants to follow in his father's footsteps.
Patrick told On3 that he had been thinking his Top 9 over this summer.
"I have been talking to recruits in my class about where at and where they stand and I felt it was important for me to do this," Patrick said. "Cutting my schools down going into the season is something I wanted to do so I can focus on my season. I see this list staying in the future. I do not see another school coming in late and changing things, so these are the schools I will focus on now."
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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MICHAEL FRANCE