Michigan State football makes top 4 for elite 2026 target

The Michigan State football team received some good news on Wednesday morning when arguably their top class of 2026 target named the final four teams in his recruitment.

The Spartans, of course, were included.

On3’s Hayes Fawcett broke the news this morning after speaking with Patrick.

NEWS: Four-Star IOL Gregory Patrick is down to 4️⃣ Schools, he tells me for @on3recruits

The 6’5 270 IOL from Portage, MI is ranked as a Top 95 Recruit in the ‘26 Class (No. 1 Recruit in Michigan) per On3

Where Should He Go?👇🏽https://t.co/MzvpD5ATz7 pic.twitter.com/xdR6jYz1rB

— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) March 19, 2025

As you can see, Michigan State football made the final cut along with Michigan, Penn State, and Notre Dame. Patrick confirmed official visits to each of his final schools are set for this summer. He plans on visiting Penn State first. That visit is set for May 30. Next, he will visit MSU on June 6. After that it’s off to Notre Dame for the weekend of June 13. The Wolverines will get the last pitch at him as he will end his visit schedule in Ann Arbor the weekend of June 20.

Where his recruitment stands

Patrick has previously stated in prior interviews with On3’s Steve Wiltfong that academics, talent development, and the overall locker room culture are the main deciding factors in his recruitment. It’s also worth noting that he has visited East Lansing several times, and his dad, Joesph, attended MSU and played football back in the early 2000s.

Making the top four for Patrick is no small feat. He is one of the most coveted offensive line prospects in the class of 2026. In fact, 247Sports’ composite rankings have him as the 16th-best offensive tackle in the country and the second-highest-ranking player from the state of Michigan. He has 23 total offers so far. Outside of his top four, he also had offers from Alabama, Baylor, Oklahoma, Wisconsin, and other big-name schools.

Patrick is a four-star prospect in every ranking out there. On3 has him ranked higher than most where he is the 139th overall prospect in the country.

Offensive line Coach Jim Michalczik has prioritized Patrick for quite some time and has worked relentlessly to forge a decent relationship with him. Jonathan Smith and staff have gone to his high school several times to see him in person as well.

Hopefully the hard work pays off and the staff can work on bringing Patrick home to East Lansing.