Commitment follow-up: Panasiuk still developing

Here's the scary thing about Mike Panasiuk's record-setting weight-lifting summer: He has yet to put that strength behind pads.

Panasiuk, a defensive lineman who committed to Michigan State in June, began hitting the weights seriously this past winter and spring, as part of a track and field program, no less.

"After last season, I decided to throw discus and shot put in track so I was in their weight lifting program," said Panasiuk (pronounced PAHN-uh-shook). "We would lift every day after school."

It was no ordinary weight training regimen. The track program at Roselle (Ill.) Lake Park High School borrows concepts from world class track and field competitors. It seems to have shaped Panasiuk into an uncommon force in the weight room and at the off-season camps.

Panasiuk gained a measure of fame by breaking The Opening's camp record for 185-pound bench reps with 43 in early July.

In camp settings throughout the spring and summer, Panasiuk has enjoyed success against major conference offensive line recruits.

Next, Panasiuk will look to apply his national-class level of strength to the football field as a senior at Lake Park.

Michigan State coaches liked the 2014 version of Panasiuk. They will be eager to see what it looks like as a high school senior in 2015 as his enormous level of natural strength has been compounded by new gains in the weight room.

'Representing Michigan State'

MSU became aware of Panasiuk after he camped at MSU last summer. MSU remained in occasional contact with him during the fall. And then after seeing his junior film, MSU's correspondence with Panasiuk picked up in January and February.

Panasiuk's success on the camp circuit seemed to have something to do with MSU offering a scholarship in early June. He committed a few days later, as Michigan State was the offer he was waiting for - despite offers from Missouri, Penn State, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Iowa, Maryland, Minnesota and others.

In early July, Panasiuk attended The Opening, Nike's national camp in Eugene, Ore. He broke The Opening record of 42 reps of 185, formerly held by Hawaiian four-star defensive tackle Breiden Fehoko, who will be a freshman at Texas Tech this fall.

Todd Huber, the line coach at The Opening and a former offensive lineman at Cal, figured Panasiuk could make noise in the 185-pound bench test.

"Todd told me he saw the dude that put up the record last year and he said that dude had the same body type that I did and he said he believed I could beat it," Panasiuk said. "He told me the number was 42 so I went in there knowing it was 42 and gave it my all and beat it.

"I kind of had it in my head and guys that were there were counting as I went, so I just kept going. I went in there wanting to do as much as I could, whether it was 43 or 50 or 60."

Offensive linemen are known for their prowess in the weight room. But d-linemen at the camp took pride in seeing a fellow defensive player put up the best mark at the camp, and break the record.

"There were a couple of guys, even on the offensive line, that didn't get high reps," Panasiuk said. "I think the next high rep was 33.

"After I got the number, all the d-linemen were around, and a couple of the coaches. So they were excited for me setting the record, saying it was a great accomplishment. They were cheering me on as I was pumping out the numbers. I got a little blood rush to my head but I was fine, just got back up and was really excited that I could put up a number like that."

Fellow Spartan commitment Messiah DeWeaver was not in the room when he broke the record, but upon hearing the news, DeWeaver found Panasiuk on the practice field and gave him a hearty congratulations.

Then came attaboys from MSU's coaching staff.

"I heard from Coach Salem, from Coach Burton and Coach Dantonio after they found out about it," Panasiuk said. "I messaged them on Twitter. They all congratulated me on setting the record and everything I did at The Opening. Coach D said he was excited about everything I did and just representing Michigan State."

The Opening marked only the second time Panasiuk had tested his rep max at 185 pounds. He put up a mark of 30 at this time last year. The extra strength came from a year of maturity and the weight training that he began just six months ago.

"Our workouts consist of the regular Olympic lifts but we change our weight percentage every other week," he said. "So one week we'll be at 50 to 60 percent (of our max) and then the next week it will be 60 to 70 percent and it goes up till 110 percent with spotters.

"I'm just naturally strong. It was this past offseason when I really went to work in the weight room."

He also lifts at Lifetime Fitness, near his home in suburban Chicago. Panasiuk's relative newness to weight training isn't unprecedented in Spartan recruiting circles. MSU left tackle Jack Conklin didn't lift weights prior to his senior year in high school, per his father's orders - and his dad was the head varsity coach. Conklin has been a late-bloomer of legendary proportions, entering 2015 as an All-America candidate and a possible first-round draft choice.

Panasiuk put up a bench press mark of 405 earlier this summer, bringing a veteran level of strength to his nonstop tenacity.

"They (Michigan State coaches) said they liked the high motor that I have, they like how I play," Panasiuk said. "They like that I don't care who I go up against, that I'm going to keep fighting. They like that about me, they like how I'm a fighter."

Panasiuk likes what Dantonio has been doing with the Spartan program.

"Growing up, me and my family always used to go up in Michigan for skiing trips and snow boarding trips," Panasiuk said. "So growing up, I've been up through there a couple of times. And also, just growing up and seeing everything that Coach Dantonio has built over there, and the way that they are going and everything Coach Dantonio is about - I want to be a part of it. Coach Dantonio is known about getting those two-stars and three-stars and having great success with his team and that's what what I want to be a part of."

Not A Sleeper

Panasiuk isn't a sleeper recruit. He is a three-star prospect, ranked the No. 10 player in Illinois by Rivals.com. His commitment to MSU gave the Spartans a clean sweep of the top three-ranked defensive linemen in Illinois for 2015, joining four-star DE Josh King and four-star DT Naquan Jones.

Last fall was just Panasiuk's fourth of organized football.

Panasiuk shows strong hands when battling in the trenches, moving people with sudden, violent bursts. He uses his hands well to disengage while reading the flow or slanting gaps. He looks like a technician with the way he uses his hands, but he says he's far from it.

"Actually, I haven't really worked on my hands much," Panasiuk said. "When I tell people that, a lot of people are surprised, just like you were. Even though I haven't worked on that much, I do a good job of placing them, using them the right way, using the right moves.

"So I'm even more excited to see what I can do and I know I have a lot of potential to be better than I am right now with my hands.

"I've only been playing football since eighth grade, so I definitely have a lot to learn. I'm definitely going to keep working my hands. That's something I'm going to try to focus on and see where it takes me from here."

Panasiuk needs to learn to play lower, with a flat back. But the strength he has in his upper body is complemented by excellent power in his lower body and through his core, as he is able to pop his hips forward and run his feet after engaging.

And that's based on 2014 film - before his weight training reached a new level.

Combine the strength, with a natural penchant for using his hands with the fact that he isn't even playing with a low pad level yet and the 6-foot-2, 275-pound Panasiuk is one of the more intriguing players in MSU's 2016 recruiting class.

"Coach Dantonio told me to keep working and just focus on my team," Panasiuk said. "Last year, we went 5-4 but we didn't have the points to get into the playoffs.This year, I plan on being a leader of my team, helping out everybody and leading my team to the playoffs and making a run for it when we get there."