2023 Seattle (Wash.) Rainier Beach cornerback Caleb Presley and his father Clarence Presley made the trip to East Lansing for Michigan State's rivalry matchup against Michigan on Saturday.

"My son and I have been impressed with the culture of the program," said Mr. Presley, Clarence's father. "The development of this team and the level in which they are competing is impressive."

Presley and his father arrived on campus just in time to catch the game. Afterwards, they were able to spend time in the locker room and take in the Spartans' victory celebrations. The two were invited back for a tour of the facilities on Sunday morning.

"The atmosphere was electric," Mr. Presley said. "I think seeing how those young men rallied after adjustments were made at halftime showed how much they have bought into the culture of Coach Tuck, including the coaching staff."

The meeting with Mel Tucker stood out to the father.

"The best part was the electrifying atmosphere and meeting with Coach Tuck!" Mr. Presley said. "Coach Tuck was sharing his view of developing the entire person to excel beyond the game and sharing the rich history of MSU’s diversity.

"I felt a sense of authenticity from the personnel and truly believe that everyone has bought into Coach Tuck’s vision. I think the relationships are real. I would say the relational experience was one of the best we have experienced, to be honest."

So what goes into building those relationships?

"Initially things like hospitality, remembering conversations and interest, asking about what’s important in your life, and follow up," Clarence Presley said. "Eventually with ongoing conversations and showing yourself friendly after developing a rapport, the goal is to develop trust. Trust is key and what my wife and I most want for Caleb is to have a trusting relationship with the staff of wherever he attends.

"So far I am comfortable with those things at Michigan State. It was one visit, but it felt right."

Presley also plans to visit Alabama and has taken trips to Oregon, Washington, Utah and USC.

If you notice in the fathers tweet it mentions Seattle Rainer Beach High School head coach Corey Sampson encouraging the visit. Why was a head coach from Seattle endorsing Michigan State before the visit?

"Michigan State is a great place. Coach Thomas Wilcher first began reaching out a few months back." Sampson said, "He told me his whole story and how he is interested in Caleb. Cass Tech, where he was at, reminded me of my story and Rainer."

After the very strong first impression the coach was later in contact with Mel Tucker.

"The way he is building something special and he is an African American head coach which caught my eye," Sampson said. "I watched the Miami game intently and liked what I saw from the coaches and the players."

"I told Caleb you need to watch these guys. Michigan State is a great place to be. They put guys in the NFL." Sampson said, "After they visited Utah, his dad was telling me he wanted to take Caleb to another school. I suggested Michigan State during our schools bye week. I said 'they have a big game against Michigan its the time to go.'"

Sampson acknowledged Wilcher's role with Michigan State as director of high school relations as unique and special to Michigan State and will leave a lasting impression.

"I talked to Wilcher this morning, he called me saying 'wake up' and we talked zone blocking. We talked zone blocking before he even brought up Caleb and his visit. He is a great guy."

Sampson was unable to make the visit this time around but hopes to make to East Lansing himself at some point. He has talked to the coaches about a coaching clinic and other things.

"I haven't been able to catch up Caleb or his dad since the visit but his pops did tell me it was well worth the trip."

Caleb Presley also spoke with Rivals.com National Analyst Adam Gorney about the visit.

"The stadium was electrifying the whole game,” Presley said. “I was on my feet the whole game, standing in front of some of the biggest MSU fans that I’ve ever seen. They turned up, had a great time and I got a chance to see one of the best games of the year.

"Coach (Mel) Tucker is building a beautiful program up at Michigan State. He’s surrounding himself with the right people, like-minded people, people that are all about Michigan State football and development. There is a family aspect to it as well.”

You can read Gorney's full interview with Presley HERE.