Profile 2004: Stevie Buckner

Junior to Watch: Stevie Buckner

School: Cookeville High (TN)

Position: Fullback/Linebacker

Size and speed: Buckner is 6-1, weighs 225 pounds, and runs a 4.8 forty. He bench presses 290 pounds, squats 420 pounds, and claims a 30" vertical leap.

Honors: As a junior Buckner was named the hardest hitter and the most valuable offensive back on the Cookeville High team and also made the All-Region team.

Statistics: A two year starter at fullback, as a junior Stevie had 226 carries for 1004 yards (4.44 ypc) and 20 touchdowns. He will also play linebacker this season. He is very agile and also plays soccer. He is an excellent student with a 3.5 GPA and has already scored a 20 on the ACT, but plans to retake the test this month. He plans to major in pre med and wants to become a dentist.

Favorite Schools: “I would really like to go to Mississippi State or Vanderbilt or Carson Newman or Samford,” Buckner commented. Coaches from Vanderbilt and Tennessee Tech both visited his high school last month, and he received a call from UT-Chattanooga.

Skinny: Stevie’s criteria for a college is simple. “I want a pretty good program and a chance to be able to play,” he said. His oldest brother, Matt Buckner, played linebacker/defensive tackle at Tennessee Tech, so he has a little guidance going through the college selection process.

“I am really hard working,” Buckner described his presence on the field. “I am a really smart player. I think about the stuff I do before I do it. I am a leader.”

He feels his traits are the same as his favorite player’s. “My favorite player is Mike Allstott,” he explained. “We have a lot of the same running style. We just over people. He plays the same position I do, and he plays for my favorite team.”

Buckner will camp Ole Miss this upcoming weekend, then will travel to Eastern Kentucky, Ohio State, and Vanderbilt before summer’s end.