Make it back-to-back days with a commitment from an offensive tackle from out west for Michigan State, as three-star 2026 California prospect Quinn Buckey committed to the Spartans on Friday.
Buckey's announcement comes one day after MSU landed a verbal commitment from coveted Arizona three-star offensive tackle Collin Campbell. Buckey is the Spartans' third commitment on the offensive line in the 2026 cycle, joining Campbell and three-star tackle/guard Eli Bickel.
Michigan State beat out Buckey's fellow finalists of Arizona, UCLA and Vanderbilt for his commitment.
"I chose Michigan State because it was a perfect fit for me," Buckey told Spartans Illustrated about his decision to commit to MSU. "I have a great relationship with the staff and just felt like it was the place where I could grow the most."
Back in April, Buckey took an official visit to Michigan State. The Liberty High School (Bakersfield, California) standout enjoyed his time in East Lansing.
"We got to see a lot — all the facilities, that kind of thing," Buckey told Spartans Illustrated following the official visit. "I would say my favorite part was the indoor field, coming from the West Coast, you don’t really see those."
However, Michigan State had to keep fighting in Buckey's recruitment. He took several other official visits, including to Arizona, UCLA, Vanderbilt, California and Oklahoma State. Arizona State was also involved, and he has strong family connections to Stanford.
Ultimately, being able to play in one of the country's elite conferences in the Big Ten, his relationship with the coaching staff and how he fits in the offense were all reasons why Buckey decided to become a Spartan. Development and academics are also important to the California native.
"I would say being in the Big Ten and having great coaches with good schemes (stands out most)," Buckey said about Michigan State.
He has built tight bonds with Michigan State head coach Jonathan Smith, offensive line coach/run game coordinator Jim Michalczik ("Coach M"), assistant offensive line coach Jacob Lail and offensive coordinator Brian Lindgren.
"I have great relationship with all of them," Buckey said previously about the MSU coaches. "I’m really close with Coach M and Coach Lail for sure."
The nearly 6-foot-7 and 300-pound Buckey has a strong football pedigree. His dad, Jeff, played collegiately at Stanford before going on to play 45 games in the NFL. His older brother, Zach, currently plays defensive end at Stanford, while his other older brother, Grant, currently plays on the defensive line for UCLA.
Buckey's size, length and athleticism makes him an ideal fit at the offensive tackle position.
In addition to the schools already mentioned, Buckey collected scholarship offers from Boston College, Minnesota, Northwestern, Oregon State, Washington State and others.
Now that Buckey has pledged to the Spartans, Michigan State's 2026 class currently includes 12 total commitments from scholarship players. Buckey makes eight commits for MSU since official visit season began. MSU's class now ranks 34th nationally.
Buckey joins Campbell, Bickel, four-star quarterback Kayd Coffman, four-star tight end Eddie Whiting, three-star EDGE Cory House Jr., three-star defensive tackle Christopher Knauls Jr., three-star safety Eliyjah Caldwell-Hardy, three-star tight end Joey Caudill, three-star safety Brayden Thomas, three-star linebacker Braylon Hodge and three-star cornerback Kelsey Deriso.
Additionally, the Spartans received a commitment from preferred walk-on 2026 athlete commit Jack Lansing III in May as well.
