Two of Texas A&M's final members of the 2017 class will not suit up for the Aggies in 2020, opting instead to transfer.
Buckley, a 4-star out of Cedar Hill, burst onto the scene in a big way as a freshman, with 17 catches for 282 yards and 3 TD while averaging 16.6 yards per catch. He began 2018 as a starter, but saw his playing time fall off later in the season as Quartney Davis and Kendrick Rogers emerged. He caught 34 passes for 474 yards, but only 1 score.
Buckley's playing time plummeted in 2019 after starting early in the season before he was passed up by Ainias Smith. He caught just 11 passes for 121 yards and no touchdowns.
A chance at a rebound season in 2020 evaporated during the summer, when he tore his ACL. Buckley was able to suit up for, but did not play in, the Orange Bowl. Back to 100% for spring practice, he played for the Maroon team Saturday but did not make a catch.
Buckley ends his Aggie career with 62 catches for 877 yards and 4 TD.
Tucker wasn't on the spring roster and hasn't been a factor in two years. Like Buckley, Tucker's A&M career started off with a bang, He started seven games in 2017 and was named SEC Defensive Player of the Week after he had 14 tackles and an interception returned for a touchdown against Ole Miss. He started at the beginning of the 2018 season, but was passed up by Larry Pryor on the depth chart by mid-season after struggling against the pass. He played in just four games in 2019 before deciding to sit out to preserve his redshirt, then opted out of the 2020 season.
Both players will leave A&M with their diplomas and will be graduate transfers.
Analysis
What do these moves mean for the Aggies? Not much, really. Having Buckley around would have been a definite plus, because A&M needs experienced receivers. But there didn't seem to be a real place for him in the rotation, with reports of a strong spring from Demond Demas and good performances from Devin Price and Moose Muhammad in the spring game. With Caleb Chapman back in the fall and Chase Lane, Ainias Smith and Hezekiah Jones established, it wasn't going to be easy for Buckley to get a ton of snaps.
Tucker wasn't even with the program after opting out last summer. He was buried on the depth chart at that point and that wasn't going to change if he'd stuck around. With Demani Richardson, Leon O'Neal, Keldrick Carper and Antonio Johnson, the Aggies are much stronger at safety than they were when Tucker arrived in 2017.
