Michigan State offensive line coach Jim Michalczik works with players during the Spring Showcase on Saturday, April 20, 2024, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing. / Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK
The Michigan State Spartans struggled in the trenches throughout the 2024 season. Injuries racked up, young players had to step in, and there was seemingly no time for the offensive line to mesh.
Continuity is everything, and the lack of it facilitated one of the worst run games in the country and a passing attack that was limited, despite Aidan Chiles' best efforts.
The Spartans have one of the best offensive line coaches in Jim Michalczik. He has NFL experience, and his time at Oregon State was particularly successful as a talent evaluator and developer. For example, he coached first-round pick Taliese Fuaga, considered one of the can't-miss prospects in the 2024 NFL Draft.
It will likely take some time for us to see what Michalczik's recruiting does for the Spartans. We got an early look at true freshman Rakeem Johnson, who was relatively unheralded but lauded among insiders as a player to watch, and he didn't disappoint.
Rawness aside, Johnson held his own after being thrown into the fire thanks to aforementioned injury issues and impressed in performances against dominant defensive lines such as Ohio State, which has no less than three potential first-rounders (for 2025) on it's defensive front.
Michalczik and head coach Jonathan Smith will look to the portal for an injection of talent. A top priority is interior offensive lineman Josh Thompson of Northwestern. Thompson is a Fenton, Michigan, native and he is visiting East Lansing today.
Thompson was an underrated prospect who far outplayed what was expected of him with the Wildcats -- in 2023 he started in 11 games and did not allow a sack in the final eight games. He has 21 starts in 31 total appearances. He had an 18-game streak of no sacks allowed.
Thompson is being courted by many schools and he will be visiting Auburn on Wednesday and Ohio State on Friday, per 247Sports' Allen Trieu.
"The week after that, he is expected to still finalized officials with Michigan, South Carolina, LSU and Tennessee," Trieu reported. "He is working through the details with those schools currently."
Protecting Chiles and bolstering the run game should be a top priority for the green and white. A player like Thompson does both.
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.