6-foot-6 OL/DE prospect includes Spartans in list of top schools

The Spartans are joined by Nebraska, Florida State, Minnesota, Oregon and a handful of other teams on his list of top schools.

[jwplayer A8I2iwtU]

Ru’Quan Buckley, a three-star offensive lineman and defensive end prospect out of Grand Rapids, listed Michigan State in his newly released top 11 on Saturday.

The Spartans are joined by Nebraska, Florida State, Minnesota, Oregon, Cincinnati, Purdue, Central Michigan, Arkansas, Toledo and Iowa State on the list. Buckley, who is a senior at Godwin Heights High, is ranked as the 14th best prospect in all of Michigan by 247Sports.

Allen Trieu, a national recruiting analyst for 247Sports, projects Buckley to be a starter at the next level and believes he’ll have the opportunity to play either O-Line or D-Line in college.

“Tall, long and still very lean prospect but has a more developed lower body. Good athlete who has played basketball. Plays both defensive end and offensive tackle in high school and could do either at a high level in college. Shows flashes of nastiness and intensity. He could do that more consistently, but has improved on that through his high school career. Bends pretty well and shows the ability to get skinny on defense and get through gaps. Technically raw and has to improve with his hands. Great upside and only just scratching the surface of what he can be. Likely projection is Power 5 starter at defensive end (and can play in an even or odd front) but offensive tackle is not out of the question either,” Trieu wrote of Buckley back in March.

While Michigan State is one of only two in-state schools to crack Buckley’s list, he’s currently projected to commit to Nebraska by a pair of recruiting analysts from 247Sports. Should Mel Tucker and his staff land Buckley, he’d be either the fourth offensive lineman or fourth defensive lineman to verbally commit in the 2021 class.

Check out Buckley’s highlights from his junior season below:

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1364]