As Jacub Panasiuk saw Michigan State get heavily involved in his recruitment in recent months, he tried telling himself that MSU wasn’t going to be where he would go. It was nothing against MSU for the 2017 Roselle (Ill.) Lake Park defensive end, he just wanted to separate his recruitment from his brother’s after Mike signed with the Spartans in the 2016 class.

“I tried telling myself that it wasn’t the right place and I wanted to be different than my brother,” Panasiuk said.

Going through it for himself and making his own decision was important enough that Panasiuk called it “one of the biggest things in his recruitment.” But as he went through the process, it became more clear that Michigan State would be the place for him and he committed to MSU on Thursday afternoon.

“In the end, I realized that it is the right place for me,” he said. “It fits me perfectly. It’s a great place to commit to.”

It came down to Michigan State, Penn State, Indiana and Minnesota for the 6-foot-3, 266-pound Panasiuk, but he called MSU coaches Mark Dantonio, Ron Burton and Brad Salem last week to let them know his decision. It was the relationship Panasiuk has built with those coaches in the months since MSU offered in late January that helped lead to the commitment.

“I just really respect the heck out of coach Burton as a D-line coach,” Panasiuk said. “He’s, in my opinion, one of the best D-line coaches in the nation. Just overall with it being easier on my life and Mike going there, so having the family bond and everything, just made me choose Michigan State.”

He said his family all was excited about the decision, especially given how it makes the travel easier for game weekends in the future. Likewise, the Michigan State coaches were excited to learn of his decision, as Burton and Salem have recruited Illinois hard and had a lot of success landing defensive linemen from the state in the past three recruiting classes.

“They were going a little nuts and they were very energetic,” Panasiuk said. “They were just excited that they got their first D-line commit and that they get to keep the tradition with Mike going there and now me.

The 2017 class for MSU now stands at nine commitments with Panasiuk being the second on the defensive side, joining Piqua (Ohio) linebacker Darien Clemons.

Now, Panasiuk will turn his attention toward his high school season, as Lake Park has narrowly missed the playoffs the past two seasons and he is determined to help them get over the hump. He also soon might be joined by his younger brother, Patrick, who is showing early promise as an offensive lineman.

“His future is bright,” he said. “As of right now, he has the size. His work ethic is getting there. He’s only a freshman, so he doesn’t understand everything yet. But he’s starting to get the swing of football and how much you have to grind and everything.”

So are the Panasiuks on the way to being the next family pipeline from Illinois to Michigan State?

“No, no, no - Michigan State just loves brothers and loves to recruit brothers,” Panasiuk said. “I take it as a blessing to be able to follow the Allens.”