The Highlights: Transfer QB Michael Van Buren's LSU debut

Mississippi State transfer quarterback Michael Van Buren made his LSU debut in a Week 4 win over Southeastern, and he left both coaches and fans impressed.

One year ago, Van Buren was forced to step into the starting role after Mississippi State quarterback Blake Shapen went down with an injury.

The result: double-digit SEC starts as a true freshman and a season when Van Buren passed for 1,886 yards and 11 touchdowns with seven interceptions. Van Buren also flashed with his legs, and by season’s end he added five rushing touchdowns to his freshman resume.

When Van Buren entered the NCAA Transfer Portal following his freshman season in Starkville, the Tigers quickly worked to add another SEC starter to the quarterback room in Baton Rouge, which now includes Van Buren, starting quarterback Garrett Nussmeier, and redshirt freshman Colin Hurley.

Van Buren’s debut in purple-and-gold, which began on the second drive of the second half and included time working with the second-team and third-team units on offense, turned out as positive as one could ask for.

In a 56-10 win over Southeastern, Van Buren finished the game 10-for-12 passing for 122 yards and a touchdown through the air while adding 16 yards and a touchdown on four carries, including an impressive scramble – spin move included – for a double-digit gain and first down.

In the postgame press conference, LSU head coach Brian Kelly said Van Buren’s ability to step in for the first time in Week 4 and not miss a beat, regardless of opponent, spoke volumes of his talent and the state of LSU offensive coordinator Joe Sloan’s quarterbacks room this season.

“I was pleased with Mike,” Kelly said. “I thought he threw on a really good tempo and balance. The ball came out on time. From my perspective, for a kid who hasn’t played or gotten much time since last year, I thought he came in (played to the level where) you can see the talent at that position.”

While Nussmeier has battled through a torso injury across the first month of the season, LSU’s returning starter at quarterback still went wire-to-wire at quarterback across the first three games this month.

In Saturday’s win over Southeastern, the staff called the first-team unit off the field after the first drive of the second half. Nussmeier and the starters headed to the bench after scoring a head-turning six touchdowns on six straight drives.

From there, Van Buren led LSU’s offense on touchdown drives on his first two series, one coming in the third quarter and the other in the fourth quarter. On the final possession for the Tigers, LSU chose to punt the ball away as the final minutes ticked off the clock in the 46-point win over the Lions.

Here’s a look at some of Van Buren’s top plays from his LSU debut.

We got our first extended look at Michael Van Buren Jr. last night.

The #LSU backup QB appears to be next in line when the Nuss era comes to a close.

Here are a few of his best runs/throws against SLU. pic.twitter.com/ZCdjwUYtrg

— John Eads WAFB-TV (@JohnEadsWAFB) September 21, 2025