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)…came 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 games…started at quarterback at Mississippi State in the final eight games of the 2024 season …highly touted prep quarterback at powerhouse St. Frances Academy in Baltimore and ranked a four-star recruit … originally committed to Oregon before signing with Mississippi State.
2025 (LSU): Saw action in seven games, starting the last four games of the season, including the Texas Bowl…completed 94-of-151 passes for 1,010 yards, eight touchdowns and two interceptions while running for 129 yards and a touchdown…saw 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)…in a win vs. Arkansas completed 21-of-31 for 221 yards and a touchdown and ran for 36 yards on 10 attempts…in a win vs. WKU completed 25-of-42 for 202 yards, a touchdown and an interception and running for 12 yards…completed 14-of-25 for 96 yards, a touchdown and an interception at No. 8 Oklahoma (11/29) and ran for 33 yards on five attempts…completed 16-of-26 for a season-high 267 yards and three touchdowns while running for 24 yards vs Houston (12/27) in the Texas Bowl…also saw action vs. Southeastern Louisiana – passing for 122 yards and running for 16 and a touchdowns – 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 them… appeared in 10 games completing 140-of-256 passes for 1,886 yards, 11 TDs and 7 interceptions … added 5 rushing touchdowns … named SEC Freshman of the Week after passing for 306 yards and a career-best 3 touchdowns at Georgia in Week 5 … first career TD pass came against Georgia … threw a career-long pass of 72 yards vs. Georgia … other 300-yard passing game came against Arkansas when he completed 22-of-31 passes for 309 yards and 2 touchdowns … tied career-highs for completions (22) and touchdown passes (3) vs. Texas A&M … had 8 touchdowns passes over a 3-game span in games against Georgia (3), Texas A&M (3) and Arkansas (2) … made collegiate debut in backup action vs. Eastern Kentucky … first career start came at No. 1 Texas, completing 12-of-23 passes for 144 yards and running for his first career touchdown …. accounted for 3 touchdowns (2 rushing, 1 passing) vs. UMass … 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 … rated a 4-star recruit by ESPN and Rivals … considered a 3-star recruit by 247Sports and On3 … rated inside ESPN’s Top 300 for 2024 at No. 58 … played in the 2024 Under Armour All-American Game … 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 … 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 …in a win against eventual Texas 6A Division II State Champion DeSoto, Van Buren completed 13-of-20 passes for 205 yards and 3 touchdowns … after missing four games in 2023, Van Buren returned to guide his squad to wins in 5 of the team’s final 7 games … 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 BUREN’S CAREER HIGHS
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 BUREN’S CAREER 300-YARD PASSING GAMES
309 vs. Arkansas, Oct. 26, 2024
306 at Georgia, Oct. 12, 2024
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