Van Buren Named USF Football's QB1 For FIU Season Opener
August 25, 2026 | Football
Michael Van Buren Jr. was named University of South Florida starting quarterback because of his consistent body of work, plus his standout performance in the team's latest scrimmage, Bulls head coach Brian Hartline said Tuesday.
Van Buren (6-0, 195 pounds), who played in 17 games (starting 12) during SEC competition in the past two seasons with Mississippi State and LSU, had been neck-and-neck with Luke Kromehoek (6-4, 220) throughout the spring and fall camp. Hartline continued to emphasize "we'll need them both,'' but felt secure enough in Van Buren's performance to make a decision well in advance of the Sept. 5 regular-season opener against Florida International University at Raymond James Stadium.
"Whichever way we went, we wanted to give that player two weeks of prep to be the best version of themselves,'' Hartline said. "We felt like the timing was right. We put a big emphasis on practices, but also the scrimmages. Games aren't the same as practices and scrimmages aren't the same as practices. Mike earned it. He did a good job of communicating with the guys and trying to be a leader and so did Luke. The last scrimmage was kind of the deciding factor of where we wanted to go and we put an emphasis on it.''
Van Buren, a 4-star prospect from Maryland powerhouse St. Frances Academy, threw for 267 yards and three touchdowns for LSU against Houston in the Texas Bowl. He threw for 309 yards against Arkansas, while tossing three TD passes at Texas A&M. In SEC play, he has started road games at No. 1 Texas, No. 5 Georgia, No. 7 Tennessee and No. 15 Ole Miss.
"I feel like that kind of experience will really help me,'' Van Buren said recently. "I've experienced college football at the highest level. I think I have what it takes to compete and what it takes to win games.''
Van Buren already has impressed his teammates at South Florida.
"It has been a really great (quarterback) battle through spring, fall, everything,'' Bulls defensive back Ayden Jackson said. "I'll say one thing about MVB (Van Buren) — he can definitely spread the field for sure.''
"I think he (Van Buren) is going to make the offense really dynamic,'' Bulls running back D.J. Crowther said. "You've got to respect the pass, but (when) they drop back, he can take off with his legs. That's really going to open up the offense because they've got to respect both aspects of his game.''
Hartline said Van Buren's elusiveness and running ability will add positive dimensions to South Florida's offense. But the head coach most values protecting the ball, making smart decisions and getting the ball into the hands of playmakers.
Those are the difference-making qualities, Hartline said.
"If you trust a guy (enough) to name him a starter, you want him to be him,'' Hartline said. "I don't want him to be anybody else. I want him to be him. It's our job to identify some things he could probably do better, then play to that.
"I think Mike does do a good job of creating plays and getting out of the pocket. You've always got to be mindful of taking care of the football and not putting it in jeopardy. There's always a fine line of making plays, but also putting the ball in jeopardy. Sometimes, there are growing pains, but ultimately you want to find that guy who's willing to grow. I think we have two guys who have grown vastly and these guys must continue to grow for us to be where we want to be.''
Hartline also emphasized that naming a starter is more a checkpoint instead of the ultimate finish line.
"We're not here to threaten anybody, but you know that your job is rented … and the rent is due every week,'' Hartline said. "If you think you own something when you don't, you're probably setting yourself up for failure. Once you think you've got it, you're about to get it. So, you keep going (and earning it each week).''
QBs At The Start Of Each Season
As the University of South Florida football prepares to celebrate its 30th anniversary, Van Buren becomes the 17th different quarterback to start a season for the Bulls and the 26th different starting quarterback overall. Marquel Blackwell and B.J. Daniels hold the record for the most starts, making a 42 each between 1999-2002 and 2008-12, respectively. Blackwell is tied with Quinton Flowers (39 starts) for the most wins for a starting quarterback with 30.
Eleven Bulls quarterbacks have won in their debut. The last to do so was Timmy McClain with a win over Florida A&M in the 2021 season.
Below are the starting quarterbacks in the Bulls' opening game of each of the previous 29 seasons:
1997 — Chad Barnhardt
1998 — Chad Barnhardt
1999 — Glen Gauntt
2000 — Marquel Blackwell
2001 — Marquel Blackwell
2002 — Marquel Blackwell
2003 — Ronnie Banks
2004 — Pat Julmiste
2005 — Courtney Denson
2006 — Pat Julmiste
2007 — Matt Grothe
2008 — Matt Grothe
2009 — Matt Grothe
2010 — B.J. Daniels
2011 — B.J. Daniels
2012 — B.J. Daniels
2013 — Matt Floyd
2014 — Mike White
2015 — Quinton Flowers
2016 — Quinton Flowers
2017 — Quinton Flowers
2018 — Blake Barnett
2019 — Blake Barnett
2020 — Jordan McCloud
2021 — Cade Fortin
2022 — Gerry Bohanon
2023 — Byrum Brown
2024 — Byrum Brown
2025 — Byrum Brown
2026 — Michael Van Buren Jr.
–#GoBulls–
Joey Johnston
Athletics Senior Writer
