Another day, another Michigan State football commit courtesy of one Jonathan Smith.
The second-year head coach has been on a tear lately on the recruiting trail and it doesn't look like that hot stretch is going to die down any time soon.
On Thursday, he landed a four-star offensive lineman from Arizona (his second four-star of the class) and on Friday, he picked up a commitment from a three-star lineman.
Quinn Buckey, a native of Bakersfield, Calif., committed to Michigan State over UCLA, Vanderbilt, and Arizona on Friday afternoon.
100 % committed #gogreen @FBCoachM @Coach_Smith pic.twitter.com/ivZTKNyfMK
— Quinn Buckey (@Quinnbuckey) June 13, 2025
While this commitment does come as a bit of a surprise given the fact that he's a West Coast kid and had one crystal ball on 247Sports and it was to Vanderbilt, it looks like Jim Michalczik might just be a master recruiter. We shouldn't be surprised, especially after landing Collin Campbell on Thursday.
Buckey is ranked the No. 882 overall recruit in the class and the No. 74 offensive tackle on 247Sports. He becomes the third offensive lineman to commit to the Spartans in the cycle.
With the commitment, Michigan State's 2026 class is up to 12 pledges and it's ranked No. 34 nationally, essentially jumping 30-plus spots over the past two weeks of official visit season.
I won't lie, I wrote Smith off after he had just four commitments in his 2026 class before official visits began on May 30, but the way he has zeroed in on his Plan A guys and has made quick work of pretty much everyone he has been targeting has caused me to buy all the way back in. Yes, Smith still needs to prove it on the field with a winning team, but whatever he has been selling has resonated with recruits lately and I'm here for it. The 2027 cycle should be very telling of his recruiting prowess.