Ru’Quan Buckley transfer: Stats, more as Michigan State football lands Nebraska transfer

Michigan State football landed its second transfer portal commitment of the day on Monday.

According to On3’s Hayes Fawcett, the Spartans — a few hours after landing Cincinnati edge rusher Tyler Gillison — landed Nebraska defensive lineman transfer and Wyoming native Ru’Quan Buckley.

REQUIRED READING: Michigan State football lands Cincinnati DE Tyler Gillison, Nebraska DT Ru’Quan Buckley

“MSU was a great place for me because it’s closer to home. But, it’s bigger than that because I love the coaches too, especially the DL coach, so really it’s all about development and finding the best way to make myself a GOAT,” Buckley said told 247Sports’ Spartan Tailgate on his decision. “I am just excited to get coached by (Michigan State defensive lineman) Coach Legi (Suiaunoa) and to just go attack and make even more plays than last year.”

Buckley will have two years of eligibility remaining with the Spartans, as he redshirted the 2022 season after seeing action in just one game during his true freshman season in 2021.

With the addition of Buckley, Spartans coach Jonathan Smith has now added six players — Anthony Jones (Indiana), Kay’ron Lynch-Adams (UMass), Ed Woods (Arizona State), Andrew Dennis (Illinois) and Gillison — through the portal during the spring window, per 247Sports.

Michigan State ranks No. 20 nationally and No. 2 in the Big Ten, behind only Ohio State, in 247Sports’ transfer portal team rankings.

Here’s what you need to know about Buckley as he transfers within the Big Ten to Michigan State:

Ru’Quan Buckley stats

Buckley brings limited playing experience to Michigan State, as he played in only nine career games during his time at Nebraska. He played in a career-high eight games in 2023, recording a total of two tackles across both the 2021 and 2023 seasons.

Buckley is from the state of Michigan, as he attended Godwin Heights High School in Three Rivers. There, he finished with 74 tackles, 22 for a loss and 11 sacks in seven games during his senior season. In addition, he was the first player in school history to commit to a Big Ten program.

Ru’Quan Buckley 247 ranking

Buckley did not receive any rankings as a transfer according to his 247 sports composite page.

However, he was a three-star recruit coming out of Godwin Heights in the 2021 recruiting class, per 247Sports. He was ranked the No. 68 defensive lineman and the No. 14-ranked player in the state of Michigan in his class.

Buckley, who enrolled early at Nebraska in January 2021, was recruited by Michigan State in high school and received an offer from the Spartans. However, he chose to play for the Cornhuskers over MSU and several Power Five schools such as Arkansas, Colorado, Indiana, Florida State, Michigan, Oregon and Purdue, among others.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Ru’Quan Buckley transfer: Stats, more as Michigan State football lands Nebraska transfer