UCLA Football Early Signing Day Breakdown: DL Grant Buckey
As the National Letters of Intent come rolling in, All Bruins is going to be taking an in-depth look at every recruit who signs with UCLA in real time. First up, defensive lineman Grant Buckey.
Grant Buckey, Defensive Lineman
Hometown: Bakersfield, California
High School: Liberty
Height: 6-foot-5
Weight: 265 pounds
2022 Stats: 15 GP, 64 tackles, 9.0 tackles for loss, 8.0 sacks, 24 QBH, 4 PD, 1 FF, 1 FR
247Sports Composite: Three-Star, No. 62 DL, No. 47 CA, No. 572 overall
High School Offers: Arizona, Arizona State, Cal, Colorado, Michigan, Nebraska, Nevada, Oregon, Oregon State, San Jose State, Stanford, UCLA, UNLV, USC (Decommit), Utah, Utah State, Washington, Washington State
Commitment Date: Dec. 1, 2022
A month ago, Grant Buckey was on track to become a Trojan. As of Wednesday, he's officially a Bruin.
The defensive lineman out of Liberty High School (CA) signed his National Letter of Intent with UCLA football on Wednesday. The Bruins' staff flipped Buckey from USC earlier in the month once the Trojans' staff told him they were going to look towards the transfer portal for more immediate contributors.
USC's loss became UCLA's gain, as the blue and gold picked up one of the top defensive linemen in the state.
“I’m excited to be somewhere where I can be my best self in all aspects and be in a great environment to get better,” Buckey said in a statement released by the team.
Buckey is a three-star recruit, according to 247Sports, Rivals, ESPN and On3. In the 247Sports Composite, Buckey is ranked as the No. 47 player in California, the No. 62 defensive lineman in the country and the No. 572 overall prospect in his class.
Among California defensive linemen, Buckey ranks No. 3.
In 15 games with Liberty this season, Buckey totaled 64 tackles, 9.0 tackles for loss, 8.0 sacks, 24 quarterback hurries, four passes defended, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery for a touchdown. As a junior, Buckey recorded 51 tackles, 15.0 tackles for loss, 7.0 sacks, 12 quarterback hurries, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and two passes defended.
Buckey's father, Jeff, was an offensive lineman at Stanford before spending four years in the NFL with the Miami Dolphins and San Francisco 49ers. Buckey's older brother, Zach, is currently a defensive lineman for the Cardinal.
Coming in at 6-foot-5, 265 pounds, Buckey played defensive end at Liberty. Defensive line coach Chad Kauha'aha'a led the charge in recruiting the Bakersfield native, though, so he could be making the move to the inside at the college level rather than remaining on the edge.
Sixth-year veteran Martin Andrus and Harvard grad transfer Jacob Sykes are out of eligibility, but former USC transfer Jay Toia and Duke transfer Gary Smith III will remain with the program. Behind them, though, is a significant lack of depth, as former walk-on Dovid Magna and former fullback Sitiveni Havili-Kaufusi were the only other linemen to get playing time this fall.
Buckey is joined in UCLA's 2023 recruiting class by three-star Liberty (NV) product A.J. Fuimaono, who has yet to sign.
Click here to check out All Bruins' 2023 early signing period tracker
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PHOTO COURTESY OF GRANT BUCKEY/INSTAGRAM
