5 days ago
Son of Two-Time Super Bowl Champion Commits to Michigan State
Son of Two-Time Super Bowl Champion Commits to Michigan State originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
Quinn Buckey was a recent addition to the Michigan State Spartans' class of 2026 recruitment crew. His father, Jeff Buckey, played as an offensive lineman for the Miami Dolphins and San Francisco 49ers.
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Now the Spartans' latest commitment, a cornerback from Blessed Trinity Catholic High School, will have a lot in common with the class of 2026 offensive tackle.
Michigan State Spartans head coach Jonathan King/Lansing State Journal/USA Today Network
TJ Umenyiora out of Roswell, Ga. is a 3-star recruit listed at No. 87 overall in cornerbacks in the country. He received 29 offers and narrowed his list down to two: Michigan State and Auburn.
But the SEC school couldn't keep Umenyiora in Alabama as the cornerback declared his commitment to the Spartans. Michigan State also had to go up against SEC's Mississippi State and the Big Ten's Northwestern, who he had official visits with alongside his top two.
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Umenyiora's father, Osi, was a defensive end for the New York Giants and Atlanta Falcons after playing for the Troy trojans in college. He was selected by the Giants in the 2003 NFL Draft in the second round. Osi, who played in the league for 11 years, is credited as a two-time Super Bowl champion and All-Pro defensive end.
Umenyiora visited East Lansing on June 6 and followed his official visit with a post on X, saying "Go Green?"
He is the ninth commitment in the past two weeks for head coach Jonathan Smith. Currently the Spartans have 13 total commits. Umenyiora joins a full list of 3-stars heading to East Lansing, including cornerback KJ Deriso, defensive lineman Christopher Knauls, safeties Eliyjah Caldwell-Hardy and Brayden Thomas, and edge rusher Cory House.
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 15, 2025, where it first appeared.
