2026 Football Roster
Jersey Number 3
Michael Van Buren Jr.
- Position:
- Quarterback
- Height:
- 6-0
- Weight:
- 195
- Class:
- Junior
- Hometown:
- Bowie, Md.
- Prev School:
- Mississippi State/LSU
- High School:
- Saint Francis Academy
HONORS
โข Davey OโBrien Great 8 (2026, Week 2)
โข American Conference Honor Roll (2026, Week 2)
Transfer quarterback who joined the Bulls in January of 2026 having logged 17 games and 12 starts in the SEC at Mississippi State (8 starts) and LSU (4 starts)โฆcame to USF having passed for 2,896 yards, 19 touchdowns and nine interceptions with a 57.5 percent completion percentage and having run for 117 yards and six touchdowns on his collegiate career with a pair of 300-yard passing gamesโฆstarted at quarterback at Mississippi State in the final eight games of the 2024 season โฆhighly touted prep quarterback at powerhouse St. Frances Academy in Baltimore and ranked a four-star recruit โฆ originally committed to Oregon before signing with Mississippi State.
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2025 (LSU): Saw action in seven games, starting the last four games of the season, including the Texas Bowlโฆcompleted 94-of-151 passes for 1,010 yards, eight touchdowns and two interceptions while running for 129 yards and a touchdownโฆsaw his most extensive action four straight starts vs. Arkansas (11/15), Western Kentucky (11/22), Oklahoma (11/29) and in the Texas Bowl vs. Houston (12/27)โฆin a win vs. Arkansas completed 21-of-31 for 221 yards and a touchdown and ran for 36 yards on 10 attemptsโฆin a win vs. WKU completed 25-of-42 for 202 yards, a touchdown and an interception and running for 12 yardsโฆcompleted 14-of-25 for 96 yards, a touchdown and an interception at No. 8 Oklahoma (11/29) and ran for 33 yards on five attemptsโฆcompleted 16-of-26 for a season-high 267 yards and three touchdowns while running for 24 yards vs Houston (12/27) in the Texas Bowlโฆalso saw action vs. Southeastern Louisiana โ passing for 122 yards and running for 16 and a touchdowns โ vs. Texas A&M and at Alabama.
2024 (MISSISSIPPI STATE): Started the final 8 games at quarterback for the Bulldogs in 2024, making starts at No. 1 Texas, at No. 5 Georgia, vs. No. 14 Texas A&M, at No. 7 Tennessee and at No. 15 Ole Miss among themโฆ appeared in 10 games completing 140-of-256 passes for 1,886 yards, 11 TDs and 7 interceptions โฆ added 5 rushing touchdowns โฆ named SEC Freshman of the Week after passing for 306 yards and a career-best 3 touchdowns at Georgia in Week 5 โฆ first career TD pass came against Georgia โฆ threw a career-long pass of 72 yards vs. Georgia โฆ other 300-yard passing game came against Arkansas when he completed 22-of-31 passes for 309 yards and 2 touchdowns โฆ tied career-highs for completions (22) and touchdown passes (3) vs. Texas A&M โฆ had 8 touchdowns passes over a 3-game span in games against Georgia (3), Texas A&M (3) and Arkansas (2) โฆ made collegiate debut in backup action vs. Eastern Kentucky โฆ first career start came at No. 1 Texas, completing 12-of-23 passes for 144 yards and running for his first career touchdown โฆ. accounted for 3 touchdowns (2 rushing, 1 passing) vs. UMass โฆ closed season with 280 passing yards and 2 touchdowns (1 rushing, 1 passing) vs. Ole Miss.
HIGH SCHOOL: Prepped at Baltimore St. Frances Academy under the direction of head coach Messay Hailemariam โฆ rated a 4-star recruit by ESPN and Rivals โฆ considered a 3-star recruit by 247Sports and On3 โฆ rated inside ESPNโs Top 300 for 2024 at No. 58 โฆ played in the 2024 Under Armour All-American Game โฆ played a national high school schedule and guided St. Frances Academy to back-to-back top 10 finishes in the MaxPreps Top 25 in both 2022 and 2021 โฆ guided St. Frances to the 2022 national championship game against IMG Academy and was ranked as the No. 2 high school program in the country โฆin a win against eventual Texas 6A Division II State Champion DeSoto, Van Buren completed 13-of-20 passes for 205 yards and 3 touchdowns โฆ after missing four games in 2023, Van Buren returned to guide his squad to wins in 5 of the teamโs final 7 games โฆ earned All-Metro honors from the Baltimore Sun in 2022 after passing for 1,707 yards and 18 touchdowns to go along with his 125 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns.
โข Davey OโBrien Great 8 (2026, Week 2)
โข American Conference Honor Roll (2026, Week 2)
Transfer quarterback who joined the Bulls in January of 2026 having logged 17 games and 12 starts in the SEC at Mississippi State (8 starts) and LSU (4 starts)โฆcame to USF having passed for 2,896 yards, 19 touchdowns and nine interceptions with a 57.5 percent completion percentage and having run for 117 yards and six touchdowns on his collegiate career with a pair of 300-yard passing gamesโฆstarted at quarterback at Mississippi State in the final eight games of the 2024 season โฆhighly touted prep quarterback at powerhouse St. Frances Academy in Baltimore and ranked a four-star recruit โฆ originally committed to Oregon before signing with Mississippi State.
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2026: Became the 12th USF quarterback to win in their debut, leading the Bulls to a season-opening victory over FIU (9.5)...went 11-of-18 passing for 100 yards and ran for seven yards with no turnovers...in the earliest conference game in program history, Van Buren led the Bulls to a come-from-behind victory at Army (9.12), as the Bulls trailed by 10 points with 4:59 remaining before he engineered touchdown drives of 75 and 81 yards to produce a 28-24 victory....posted 284 total yards and accounted for all four USF touchdowns on the day โ throwing touchdown passes of seven and 38 yards, and running for touchdowns of 18 and 24 yards....connected on 19-of-30 attempts for 239 yards passing and added a team-high 45 yards on the ground over five carries with no turnovers...completed a 38-yard touchdown pass to Joshua Porter with 19 seconds to play on a 4th-and-6 for the game winner...earned Davey OโBrien Great 8 weekly recognition.
2025 (LSU): Saw action in seven games, starting the last four games of the season, including the Texas Bowlโฆcompleted 94-of-151 passes for 1,010 yards, eight touchdowns and two interceptions while running for 129 yards and a touchdownโฆsaw his most extensive action four straight starts vs. Arkansas (11/15), Western Kentucky (11/22), Oklahoma (11/29) and in the Texas Bowl vs. Houston (12/27)โฆin a win vs. Arkansas completed 21-of-31 for 221 yards and a touchdown and ran for 36 yards on 10 attemptsโฆin a win vs. WKU completed 25-of-42 for 202 yards, a touchdown and an interception and running for 12 yardsโฆcompleted 14-of-25 for 96 yards, a touchdown and an interception at No. 8 Oklahoma (11/29) and ran for 33 yards on five attemptsโฆcompleted 16-of-26 for a season-high 267 yards and three touchdowns while running for 24 yards vs Houston (12/27) in the Texas Bowlโฆalso saw action vs. Southeastern Louisiana โ passing for 122 yards and running for 16 and a touchdowns โ vs. Texas A&M and at Alabama.
2024 (MISSISSIPPI STATE): Started the final 8 games at quarterback for the Bulldogs in 2024, making starts at No. 1 Texas, at No. 5 Georgia, vs. No. 14 Texas A&M, at No. 7 Tennessee and at No. 15 Ole Miss among themโฆ appeared in 10 games completing 140-of-256 passes for 1,886 yards, 11 TDs and 7 interceptions โฆ added 5 rushing touchdowns โฆ named SEC Freshman of the Week after passing for 306 yards and a career-best 3 touchdowns at Georgia in Week 5 โฆ first career TD pass came against Georgia โฆ threw a career-long pass of 72 yards vs. Georgia โฆ other 300-yard passing game came against Arkansas when he completed 22-of-31 passes for 309 yards and 2 touchdowns โฆ tied career-highs for completions (22) and touchdown passes (3) vs. Texas A&M โฆ had 8 touchdowns passes over a 3-game span in games against Georgia (3), Texas A&M (3) and Arkansas (2) โฆ made collegiate debut in backup action vs. Eastern Kentucky โฆ first career start came at No. 1 Texas, completing 12-of-23 passes for 144 yards and running for his first career touchdown โฆ. accounted for 3 touchdowns (2 rushing, 1 passing) vs. UMass โฆ closed season with 280 passing yards and 2 touchdowns (1 rushing, 1 passing) vs. Ole Miss.
HIGH SCHOOL: Prepped at Baltimore St. Frances Academy under the direction of head coach Messay Hailemariam โฆ rated a 4-star recruit by ESPN and Rivals โฆ considered a 3-star recruit by 247Sports and On3 โฆ rated inside ESPNโs Top 300 for 2024 at No. 58 โฆ played in the 2024 Under Armour All-American Game โฆ played a national high school schedule and guided St. Frances Academy to back-to-back top 10 finishes in the MaxPreps Top 25 in both 2022 and 2021 โฆ guided St. Frances to the 2022 national championship game against IMG Academy and was ranked as the No. 2 high school program in the country โฆin a win against eventual Texas 6A Division II State Champion DeSoto, Van Buren completed 13-of-20 passes for 205 yards and 3 touchdowns โฆ after missing four games in 2023, Van Buren returned to guide his squad to wins in 5 of the teamโs final 7 games โฆ earned All-Metro honors from the Baltimore Sun in 2022 after passing for 1,707 yards and 18 touchdowns to go along with his 125 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns.
- MICHAEL VAN BURENโS CAREER HIGHS (Entering 2026)
Pass Attempts: 42, vs. Western Kentucky, 2025
Pass Completions: 25, vs. Western Kentucky, 2025
Pass Yards: 309 vs. Arkansas, 2024
Pass TDs: 3, 3x (at Georgia, 2024; vs. Texas A&M, 2024, vs. Houston (Texas Bowl), 2025)
Long Pass: 72 at Georgia, 2024
Rushing Attempts: 12 at Texas, 2024
Rushing Yards: 36 vs. Arkansas, 2025
Rushing TDs: 2 vs. UMass, 2024
Long Rush: 35 vs. Arkansas, 2025
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MICHAEL VAN BURENโS CAREER 300-YARD PASSING GAMES (Entering 2026)
309 vs. Arkansas, Oct. 26, 2024
306 at Georgia, Oct. 12, 2024
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Friday, September 18
Thursday, September 17
Wednesday, September 16
Sunday, September 13
