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Wolverines In Second Place For In-State Lineman Ru’Quan Buckley
As one of several in-state 2021 players to hold a Michigan offer, Wyoming (Mich.) Godwin Heights Senior three-star lineman Ru’Quan Buckley has Nebraska out in front with the Wolverines in a close second place at the moment.
“Michigan, they sit like top three,” Buckley told Wolverine Digest. “I would say number two.”
Lately, Buckley has had some time to sit and digest how the recruiting process has gone. At 6-6 and 260 pounds, Buckley holds 15 offers and hears from a wide range of Power Five programs daily and provided the latest on who he is hearing from.
“My recruitment has been exciting, and I’ve been overwhelmed sometimes,” Buckley said. “I’ve been hearing the most from Nebraska. Obviously, I went down there and they love me. They’re trying to recruit me like I’m their top player yet. I’m feeling the staff, and they’re cool. They all talk to me. Every day, two coaches talk to me and once in a while the whole staff hits me up, gives me a call and checks on me.”
Recently, Buckley picked up an offer from Oregon, which was a special moment for the three-star recruit. What was another special occasion for Buckley? Attending Michigan’s 44-10 victory over Michigan State last year, which is when the Wolverines offered.
“I was very surprised,” Buckley said. “Me and my coach were like, is this a joke right now? But it wasn’t. We were just surprised, very happy and we started smiling. It was a fun day.”
Buckley left with a positive impression of the U-M program, which is one he has grown to become a fan of.
“When I was growing up, I was a [Michigan] State fan, but then watching Michigan play more, I became a Michigan fan,” Buckley said.
With the Wolverines trending up for Buckley, the physically imposing offensive and defensive lineman broke down what factors stand out to him about the Michigan program.
“What I like about the school is the education,” Buckley said. “They have a great education program. A lot of the coaches love me. They just treat everybody like family. When you come to the school, they provide everything, and the fans when you walk into a stadium are all happy and great.”
Before the coronavirus put a halt to recruiting visits, Buckley had planned on taking trips to several schools over the Spring and into the Summer.
“I was going to take visits to Iowa State, Iowa, Purdue, Indiana, Northern Illinois and I was going to try to take one to Clemson, Georgia,” Buckley said. “I had a busy schedule planned. My coaches were going to grab a van and take like five players to different colleges. I’m looking forward to getting that done when we have visits again.”
Since there are a host of schools on Buckley’s radar, the official visit process will be crucial in providing a closer look at five schools. Don’t expect Michigan to be part of that list, however.
“Me and my coach, we are not planning on doing official visits to Michigan because we live over here,” Buckley explained. “It’s not that far. It’s around the corner. I plan on taking my officials to Nebraska because they text me the most. Number two is Iowa State University because they text me a lot too. The other ones, we don’t know yet. We just have to figure out who is real and who is not.”
In the decision making process, Buckley reiterated that he is making a family decision and will be focusing on his fit within the program.
At the next level, Buckley would prefer to play defensive line in college, and he says more schools are starting to see his potential on that side of the ball as well. Last year, Buckley logged 47 tackles, 12 tackles for loss and four sacks. Watch for Buckley to dominate on both sides of the ball for the Godwin Heights Senior Wolverines in the fall.
Which in-state players should Michigan make the strongest push for? Who do you think the Wolverines have the best shot at landing? Let us know!
