Former Texas A&M Receiver Camron Buckley Good Catch for Indiana
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – When Camron Buckley was looking for a fresh start, there was a lot for him to like about Indiana. And it really got him thinking.
Buckley, a four-star receiver out of Cedar Hill (Texas) High School who spent four seasons at Texas A&M, didn't really have a reason to leave the Aggies. As a Texas native, he loved it there, loved College Station, loved his teammates, loved his coaches.
But after missing the 2020 season with a torn ACL and then graduating in December, the timing seemed right for a fresh start, especially with a crowded receivers room at A&M.
When he entered the transfer portal, Indiana jumped immediately because Hoosiers wide receiver coach Grant Heard had recruited Buckley hard when he was in high school and Heard was coaching at Ole Miss.
Indiana perked his interest, and the more he looked into, the more he realized it was a perfect fit for him.
“Just looking at the offense and with this team, I love what this team is doing,'' Buckley said when he met with the local media for the first time. "I love what Coach (Tom) Allen is doing, what coach Heard is doing with the receiver corps, and we have a great quarterback (Michael Penix Jr.) coming back,” Buckley said. “To come in and be a part of this offense, it means a lot.”
Buckley made 62 catches for 877 yards during his first three years at A&M from 2017 through 2019, playing in Jimbo Fisher's pro-style offense. He loves the idea that Indiana throws it even more than A&M does, and he's looking forward to being a part of this offense.
He said Wednesday that the plan is for him to play on the outside, but he's also very capable of playing in the slot, which he did often at Texas A&M. He's been going through workouts with his new teammates, and is fitting in well.
“I’m just taking what life gives me and let it roll, and I go with it,” Buckley said. “Football is football at the end of the day, and it’s just different offenses. The route schemes are the same route schemes. Just getting out there is the main thing and just doing my thing. It’s no big adjustment to it.
“I’m getting adjusted to the offense. It's a smooth offense, an easy-to-learn offense. I’m having fun out there and having a chance to compete with the guys.”
Indiana's offense relies heavily on its passing game, averaging 251 yards through the air last year and just 108 on the ground. Ty Fryfogle and Miles Marshall are back on the outside, but slot receiver Whop Philyor is gone, off to the NFL with the Minnesota Vikings. Philyor led the Hoosiers with 54 catches a year ago, but Fryfogle led them in yardage (721 in eight games) and receiving touchdowns (7).
Buckley had a .8853 ranking in the 247Sports composite ranking coming out of high school, which would have made him the highest-ranked Indiana recruit that year. (Fellow transfer D.J. Matthews, a wide receiver and returner from Florida State, would have been even higher.)
"I watched a couple of their games,'' Buckley said. "The offense is different. They throw the ball more; it's a throwing-based offense, and A&M was more of a pro-style offense.
"I'm having fun out there and getting a chance to compete with those guys. I've never been one to shy away from competition.''
Buckley said he feels good after his ACL rehab. and he's ready to go.
"I went through an entire spring at Texas A&M, so I'm about 95 percent right now getting back working. I'm out of the brace and I feel real good,'' Buckley said.
Being a starter is the plan.
"Competition is in me, but I wouldn't have come here if I didn't think I was going to get high reps or the opportunity to start,'' Buckley said. "That would have been a bad business decision, but I'm very educated, and this was an educated move.''
Indiana is going to player-run workouts now and will begin fall camp in about seven weeks. The season begins on Saturday, Sept. 4 at Iowa City – and expect Buckley, one of eight transfers to Indiana this offseason, to have an impact right from the start.
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