3/15/2020 football Edit

BREAKING: OL Henry Buckles Commits To Oregon State; "It was a no-brainer."

Jared Halus • BeaversEdge

Recruiting Analyst

The ice has been broken.

Oregon State technically has one member of their 2021 class already in DE Alex Lemon, but picked up their first official commitment from Hood River (OR) offensive guard Henry Buckles on Sunday.

Buckles just added his offer from Oregon State eight days ago, but that was more than enough time for him to make his decision.

“Being close to home was a big factor in my decision,” Buckles said. “The coaching staff and what they are building at OSU is a winning program and a winning family. I was thinking about where I would go if I had any choice in the world, and Oregon State was at the top of the list the whole time. It was a no-brainer.”

The coaching staff was ecstatic to hear the news that Buckles was on board, and the excitement was quickly followed by the sentiment that it's time to get to work. Buckles is going to bring that attitude and more with him to Corvallis.

“They were really excited and happy for me to be a part of the Beaver family,” said Buckles. “Now it is time to go get some rings. My goal is just to come in and give my 100% best effort and whatever happens happens. I am going to bring a winning attitude and toughness to practice everyday to try to help my teammates and myself get better."

Until then, Buckles plans on adding some muscle and perfecting his craft in order to be as prepared as possible for the next level.

“I want to stay about the same weight but put on more muscle,” said Buckles. “I want to get stronger, more explosive and get my hips more explosive. Technique wise, I am going to keep honing it in, working on my feet, my hands, my hips and my punches. Just going to get ready to play at the next level.”

With two players in the 2021 class, the Beavs are ahead of schedule if you compare to last year's class and sit in a great position with multiple targets. Though he hasn't had time to recruit others yet, Buckles will certainly do his part in the future.

“I haven’t really thought about it yet, but I will definitely be reaching out to players and trying to get them to choose OSU,” said Buckles.

To read more about what Oregon State is getting with Buckles, check out our commitment analysis.