MSU Offensive Line Target Announces Top 12 Schools
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On Thursday morning, Liberty Bakersfield High School offensive lineman Quinn Buckey released a graphic on his social media showing the 12 teams he has narrowed down to in his recruitment.
The Spartans are locked with Buckey, alongside the likes of UCLA, Minnesota, Northwestern and Michigan State coach Jonathan Smith's former school, Oregon State, among others.
The 6-foot-7 290-pound offensive tackle is a three-star prospect, per 247Sports. A great mix of power, aggression and agility make Buckey an optimal target for Spartans offensive line coach Jim Michalczik and the MSU offense.
"Michigan State is a really great school with an amazing offensive line coach who has been around and really knows his stuff," Buckey told Michigan State Spartans On SI. "He is super technical and really focuses on every little thing, which is very important to me."
Buckey came in for a visit last winter, and East Lansing made a lasting impression on the rising star.
"I enjoyed my time there and loved the campus," he said.
Buckey also added what will go into his decision on his future.
"There's a lot that will go into my decision," he said. "The staff, location and campus are probably the biggest things for sure."
No official visit has been planned yet, but Buckey says those plans are being ironed out right now.
There are reasons to be optimistic about Buckey landing in East Lansing, as Coach Smith and his staff have leveraged their relationships out west to create a bit of a pipeline.
Buckey confirmed he was pretty familiar with Coach Smith.
"I watched him at Oregon state a ton and really enjoyed it," he said.
A slight drawback could be family ties, as the lineman's brother, Grant Buckey, is currently a defensive lineman at UCLA, and his other brother, Zack Buckey, has been playing at Stanford. The possibility of playing with family or following in their footsteps could be a big draw, so it will be interesting to see what kind of pitch the MSU staff has for Quinn Buckey.
On top of that pedigree, Quinn is also the son of former NFL offensive lineman Jeff Buckey, who went to Stanford and spent time in the NFL with the Miami Dolphins and San Francisco 49ers.
It will be important for the Spartan staff to win this recruiting battle against some of its Big Ten foes, both new additions and original members in UCLA, Minnesota and Northwestern, and it wouldn't be too bad to score a recruiting win against Coach Smith's former Oregon State program.
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Graham, the founder of High School Football Frenzy, covers high school football, hockey, and basketball across the Big Ten. He provides in-depth reports on prospects at all levels and builds strong relationships with coaches and players. Joining the On SI team as a Big Ten Recruiting Beat Writer, Graham brings extensive knowledge of the Big Ten region, recruiting prospects, and high schools.