Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 2 games
| Wk | Opp | CMP/ATT | YDS | TD | INT | YPA | QBR | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 19-9vs Florida International | 11/18 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 5.6 | — | |
| Wk 2 | W 28-24@ Army | 19/30 | 239 | 2 | 0 | 8.0 | 82.3 | Season-high 239 yds |
| Total | 30/48 | 339 | 2 | 0 | 6.8 | 82.3 |
#3
Michael Van Buren Jr.
Michael Van Buren Jr. packed up and started over at South Florida, and the new tape already reads No.239 4★, national recruit.
6′0″ · 195 lb · Bowie, MD · Saint Francis Academy
CFB Index 44 · #77 of 137 QBsHigh confidenceTransferred LSU → South Florida for 2026
CFB Index
A single number blending on-field production (an EPA-based value lane) with box-score output for this player's position.
0-100, scaled within each position's own cohort — not directly comparable across positions.
The numbers
339
passing yards · 2026
2 TD · 0 INT · 7.1 per attempt
2 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 239 pass yds, 2 TD, 45 rush yds, at Army
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
3 quarterback for South Florida. 2026: 2 games with a box-score line.
- Signed as a 4-star recruit to Mississippi State in 2024.
- Transferred from LSU to South Florida in 2026.
Michael Van Buren Jr.
Filling the Shoesas of 2026-09-15
Michael Van Buren Jr. arrives at South Florida with a new fit to prove and an old chapter behind him.
339PASS YDS2PASS TD52RUSH YDS
4★ · NATIONAL RECRUIT
No.239
recruiting national rank
Read the story so far
AI-generated narrative · may contain errors · not journalism · updated 2026-09-15
His career
20249 games
- Signed with Mississippi State4-star out of St. Frances Academy
20257 games
- Entered the portal
2026
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★★
CFB
College
3 teams
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2024–2026
3 coachesPlayed under 3 different head coaches: Alex Golesh, Kevin Patrick, and Brian Hartline. Multi-era developmental context.
Where He Ended Up · Transfer
Transferred to South Florida
2025LSU
2026South Florida
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
2024Mississippi State2-10HC: Jeff Lebby · Run-leaning
2025LSU7-6HC: Frank Wilson · Balanced, slow tempo
2026South Florida2-0HC: Brian Hartline · Run-leaning, slow tempo
Where this profile ranks vs the QB cohort
Box-score percentiles
High confidenceFading
Elite: interceptions (92nd percentile). Strength: rush tds (88th percentile). Concern: pass yards (0th percentile).
Box-score rates (7)
Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score rates.
Splits & context
Splits
Per-game splits
Through 2 games: 170 YDS/g, 1.0 TD/g, 6.8 YPA, 0.0 INT/g — splits start at 3 games.
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Brian Hartline
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Awards
Player standing · 2026
Backup
On the two-deep and pushing for snaps.
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | South Florida | 30 | 48 | 62.5% | 339 | 7.1 | 2 | 0 | 135.6 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2025 | LSU | 94 | 151 | 62.3% | 1,010 | 6.7 | 8 | 2 | 133.3 | 11 | -- | -- |
| 2024 | Mississippi State | 140 | 256 | 54.7% | 1,886 | 7.4 | 11 | 7 | 125.3 | 36 | -- | -- |
| Career | 264 | 455 | 58.0% | 3,235 | 7.1 | 21 | 9 | 129.0 | 31 | -- | -- |
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | South Florida | 12 | 52 | 4.3 | 2 | -- |
| 2025 | LSU | 48 | 129 | 2.7 | 1 | -- |
| 2024 | Mississippi State | 69 | -12 | -0.2 | 5 | -- |
| Career | 129 | 169 | 1.3 | 8 | -- |
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 2 · 2026
W 28–24
at Army
Game log
How he plays
Play style
Operates within the system without forcing anything.
CFB Index positional classification
DNA match
Player DNA
Pocket Passer
Balanced passer who operates within the system, without one standout number carrying the profile.
QB
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Brady McBride’s 2020 season.
67%match
Matches Brady on
Yards / attempt
TD rate
Differs from Brady on
INT rate (lower)
Weight (lower)
Rush yards / carry (higher)
Through 3 college seasons, his career arc tracks closest to John Rhys Plumlee’s path through UCF.
86%match
Matches John on
Height
Yards per attempt
Completion %
As a sophomore, his production profile tracks closest to Jordan Yates's sophomore season at Georgia Tech (2021).
38%match
Matches Jordan on
Height
Differs from Jordan on
EPA / dropback (adj) (lower)
TD rate (higher)
Yards / attempt (higher)
Heisman trajectory
Heisman Trajectory · 2026
Peak #114
Peaked at #114 this season.
Background
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...
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology