The Michigan State football program hosted its third annual "Spartan Dawg Con" event this weekend. Similar to past years, the event brought in several former players, class of 2024 commits and recruiting targets from future classes to connect with the current coaching staff and players.
The event was put together by Darien Harris, who was recently named as MSU's assistant athletic director/NIL and special advisor to athletic director Alan Haller, along with head coach Mel Tucker and the rest of the staff.
On Friday night, Michigan State unveiled its brand new set of uniforms, including an all-black look. There were also several surprises for the guests in attendance, including a question-and-answer session with members of MSU's men's basketball team.
Saturday included a photo shoot, scavenger hunt, cookout, positional meetings with coaches and more for the prospects on campus.
The list of recruits in attendance was quite long, including several of Michigan State's current class of 2024 commits, and various targets or players of interest in the 2025 and 2026 classes.
Spartans Illustrated connected with many of the 2025 and 2026 prospects to ask them about their experiences at 2023 "Spartan Dawg Con."
Below is a roundup with quotes and comments from 2026 offensive lineman Gregory Patrick, 2026 offensive lineman Ben Nichols and 2025 three-star wide receiver Antwon Thomas.
Michigan State extended a scholarship offer to 2026 in-state offensive lineman Gregory Patrick on June 29. The Portage Northern is a legacy player at MSU as his dad, Joseph Patrick, played at MSU from 1999 through 2003.
Additionally, Gregory's uncle, Chris Patrick, played at Nebraska and spent five seasons in the NFL. So, suffice it to say that football runs in the family.
About a week before the Michigan State offer came, Patrick competed at Michigan State's prospect camp, and told Spartans Illustrated that it would be a "special moment" if and when the scholarship offer did come in. Now, he returned to East Lansing for the first time since receiving the offer and really enjoyed "Spartan Dawg Con."
Patrick was in attendance for both Friday and Saturday's festivities. He was able to spend time with head coach Mel Tucker, assistant head coach/offensive line coach/run game coordinator Chris Kapilovic ("Coach Kap") and assistant offensive line coach Jacob Lail. Additionally, he connected with several of the current recruits and former players who made the trip.
"I went both days and on Friday the main event was revealing the new jerseys and hearing people speak," Patrick said about the event. "On Saturday, I heard the former, current and future players speak about MSU and the culture. I was also able to speak to Coach Tucker with my family and (high school) coach. We also had O-line meetings, then the scavenger hunt around campus."
Patrick noted that the the scavenger hunt, and building relationships with the other attendees, stood out the most during the visit.
"My favorite part was probably doing the scavenger hunt with the former players and recruits," Patrick mentioned.
Additionally, Patrick thinks that Michigan State's class of 2024 could be special, and will help get the Spartans to where they want to go in the future.
"I was able to talk to lots of the commits and the recruits there," he said. "I thought they were all very nice and there's a bright future for Michigan State with them playing."
The promising offensive line prospect has built a strong relationship with Kapilovic and Lail, and while it is very early in his recruitment, Michigan State will likely be near the top of list throughout the process.
"Coach Kap, Coach Lail and I have a good relationship," Patrick noted. "I talk to them when I'm on campus and when I'm able to (through my coaches)."
In fact, he plans to return to Michigan State this fall for a game-day visit, though he is not sure which weekend just yet.
"Yeah, I'll definitely be back this fall for a game," Patrick said.
Another in-state 2026 offensive line prospect who Michigan State recently offered (on June 19) following an impressive camp performance is Ben Nichols out of Davison High School.
The 6-foot-5, 325-pound Nichols said it "felt amazing" to get a scholarship offer from Michigan State, and upon his return to campus, had a great time at "Spartan Dawg Con."
Similarly to Patrick, the highlight for Nichols was participating in the scavenger hunt and being able to build friendships with his peers.
"At 'Spartan Dawg Con,' I got to see a ton of great people," Nichols said. "The staff was amazing, plus I got to see the Spartan Dawgs (former players), commits and current recruits. My favorite part was definitely the scavenger hunt and talking to the commits and other recruits."
Nichols is also impressed with the group of 2024 commits, and thinks the offensive linemen a couple years ahead of him could be exceptional in the trenches in the future.
"I got to interact with everybody: commits, recruits, staff, Spartan Dawgs, coaches, everybody," Nichols mentioned. "I definitely think that the commit group is something special. They have some great guys as offensive line commits and you can tell that something special is gonna happen."
It's easy for Nichols to see why fellow prospects want to attend Michigan State. A lot of programs talk about a "family environment," but Nichols feels that MSU's program truly embodies that kind of culture.
"I believe Michigan State has one of the best families in college football," Nichols explained. "They’re such a close team and staff that it makes Michigan State a special place to be."
The bond with Kapilovic and Lail is already solid, but continues to grow. Nichols finds it easy to talk to and be comfortable around the coaches.
"My relationship with Coach Lail and Kap is great," Nichols said with excitement. "It’s like we instantly click and have a million things to talk about when I see them!"
Nichols isn't totally sure yet, but believes the staff sees him inside as an offensive guard, but he could play as a tackle as well.
He will be back to East Lansing in the near future.
"I’ll definitely be returning to MSU this fall," Nichols noted. "I’m gonna come watch some games and just focus on building a better relationship."
Belleville High School has added a new playmaker in its quest for a third-straight Michigan High School Athletic Association Division I state championship: three-star wide receiver Antwon Thomas, who transferred in from Orchard Lake St. Mary's this summer.
Thomas made the trip to East Lansing for "Spartan Dawg Con" and liked what he saw from MSU. While Thomas does not yet have a scholarship offer from the Spartans, he has built a great relationship with wide receivers coach Courtney Hawkins ("Coach Hawk") and assistant wide receivers coach Tino Smith II.
"My favorite part of the visit was having a one-on-one (meeting) with Coach Hawk and my family," Thomas explained. "We got to see the new jerseys and the new locker room."
Thomas noted that Hawkins told him that he is a "fan" of his game. Thomas also mentioned that Hawkins drew comparisons between him and former MSU star Jayden Reed, who was selected in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft by the Green Bay Packers.
Thomas went on to elaborate about his bond with Hawkins.
"Coach Hawk, I’ll describe our relationship as I’m one of his kids that he is trying to look out for," Thomas said about the wide receivers coach. "One thing he's big on is his family and he called his wideouts group his kids. I got to see his family and all that, so he is a great guy."
He also spoke very highly of Smith, who Thomas can relate to.
"Coach Tino is like an older brother," Thomas said about Smith. "He gave me life advice and he talked about his journey as a player and coach and how it was growing up for him."
Thomas also spent a lot of time with the class of 2024 commits, especially River Rouge four-star wide receiver Nick Marsh. Belleville and River Rouge open the 2023 season against each other at Wayne State University on Friday, Aug. 25. Additionally, he hung out with Michigan State sophomore wide receiver Tyrell Henry as well.
"I was talking to Nick Marsh half of the time, that’s my guy, and we play (River Rouge) Week One (this season), so we were talking about a lot of stuff," Thomas said. "And I spoke to my guy Tyrell (Henry). My thoughts about the group (of players and commits) is that it’s a family and it was just natural, for real, it’s a true brotherhood (at MSU)."
Thomas noted that an eventual offer from Michigan State would make him very excited, but if not, he is appreciative of the opportunities he does have. With double-digit scholarship offers already, including from Penn State, South Florida, West Virginia and several others, he will certainly have options for a college home.
"It would mean a lot to get an offer from MSU," Thomas said. "I know a lot of guys from there. I mean, any offer means a lot, doesn’t matter if it's Division Three, Division Two or Division One, having an opportunity to play college ball is truly a blessing."
For now, though his focus is on building trust and chemistry with his teammates, especially five-star quarterback Bryce Underwood, as he looks to help the Tigers accomplish their ultimate goal of winning another title. He's also close with Belleville linebacker Andre Thomas Jr. (no relation), who he is happy to be teammates with after playing against him in the past.
"Belleville goals, it’s simple, I want to be Bryce (Underwood's) number one guy and win a championship," Thomas said.
Just like Patrick and Nichols, Thomas plans to take in a game, or multiple, at Spartan Stadium this season.
"Yes I will be visiting there soon again, and I'm gonna pop up to a couple games," Thomas said.
Stay tuned to Spartans Illustrated for more coverage following the "Spartan Dawg Con" event.