Talented Bakersfield (CA) DL Grant Buckey Commits to USC
Talented Defensive Lineman Grant Buckey from Bakersfield (CA) took his USC Official Visit last weekend and today announced his commitment to the Trojans.
“I just liked the culture, the opportunities and the chance to win a national championship,” said Buckey about why he chose USC.
The 6-foot-5, 265-pound defensive end previously announced his top 10 schools as Arizona, Cal, Michigan, Nebraska, Oregon, Stanford, UCLA, USC, Utah and Washington. He previously visited UCLA back in May.
He was at USC for an unofficial visit in April. During that trip, Buckey had an opportunity to watch a spring ball practice. On this trip, he got a fuller sense of the players’ experience at USC.
“I got to see a lot of the players’ culture and how they live their day-to-day lives,” he said.
Buckey’s host was defensive end Solomon Tuliaupupu and he made the trip along with both parents. Only his father accompanied him on the previous trip.
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“The visit showed my parents a little more in-depth of the student living and the day-to-day living,” Buckey said.
Buckey said he believes these two trips — both seeing a practice and witnessing the day-to-day life of the players — were impactful in giving him the full on-campus experience.
Buckey’s Fit at USC
Buckey said USC defensive coordinator Alex Grinch plans to play him at defensive end when he gets to USC.
“Grinch plans to play me at end and use me as a big run stopper and pass rusher,” Buckey said.
USC 2023 Recruiting
USC holds the nation’s No. 2 recruiting class in the 2023 cycle after Notre Dame edged them for the top spot recently.
But the Trojans do not yet hold a commitment from a big man on either side of the line of scrimmage. The Trojans added four defensive linemen via the transfer portal this past offseason. But three-star edge defender Devan Thompkins was the only signee along the line on defense. The transfer portal can cover up a lot of holes when it comes to recruiting. But head coach Lincoln Riley and staff are going to want to start landing high school prospects up front in order to build some longterm depth.
There are a couple of other in-state defensive line prospects on USC’s radar, including five-star standout Matayo Uiagalelei and three-star lineman Cameron Brandt.
