Eli Lederman, ESPN Staff WriterDec 15, 2024, 01:38 PM ET
- Eli Lederman covers college football and recruiting for ESPN.com. He joined ESPN in 2024 after covering the University of Oklahoma for Sellout Crowd and the Tulsa World.
Mississippi State transfer quarterback Michael Van Buren Jr. has committed to LSU, he announced Sunday.
Van Buren entered the transfer portal earlier in the week after making eight starts in his freshman season with the Bulldogs this fall. The 6-foot-1, 200-pound passer threw for 1,886 yards and had 16 total touchdowns with seven interceptions and a 54.7% completion percentage.
A four-star prospect from Bowie, Maryland, Van Buren was ESPN's No. 57 overall recruit and the No. 4 pocket passer in the 2024 class. Initially committed to Oregon, Van Buren pulled his pledge from the Ducks and committed to Mississippi State last December shortly after coach Jeff Lebby took over the program, later signing as the top-ranked member of the Bulldogs' 2024 recruiting class.
Van Buren assumed starting duties this fall after veteran quarterback Blake Shapen sustained a season-ending shoulder injury in a 45-28 home defeat to Florida on Sept. 21. Shapen, a former Baylor transfer with 27 career starts, announced his plans to return to the Bulldogs as a sixth-year senior in 2025 earlier this week.
Mississippi State notched victories in just one of the eight games Van Buren started in Shapen's place on its way to a 2-10 finish in Lebby's first season with the Bulldogs. Van Buren eclipsed 300 passing yards on two occasions, including a 306-yard, three-touchdown performance in a 41-31 loss at Georgia on Oct. 12.
Van Buren lands at LSU with three years of remaining eligibility. The Tigers are set to return starting quarterback Garrett Nussmeier, with former Vanderbilt transfer AJ Swann remaining as the only other quarterback on the program's roster. LSU has not signed a quarterback in the 2025 cycle after No. 1 overall prospect Bryce Underwood flipped his pledge from the Tigers to Michigan last month.
