Signing a quarterback out of the transfer portal was not a huge need for LSU, especially with Garrett Nussmeier coming back for his fifth and final season.
You still have AJ Swann on the roster, and Colin Hurley is an interesting prospect out of Jacksonville, Florida.
But after losing the nation’s top high school quarterback Byrce Underwood to Michigan, third-stringer Rickie Collins entering the transfer portal and Swann’s less than inspiring performance against Oklahoma, it was a good idea for LSU to add another quarterback to the roster.
On Sunday afternoon, news broke that former Mississippi State starting quarterback Michael Van Buren had committed to LSU.
Van Buren is 6-foot-1, 200 pounds and made eight starts for the Bulldogs in 2024 as a true freshman.
The Maryland native originally committed to Oregon but ended up signing at Mississippi State after Jeff Lebby got the job in Starkville.
Van Buren was not supposed to start this season, but the Bulldogs lost their opening game starter, Blake Shapen, to a season ending shoulder injury on September 21st.
Van Buren threw for 1,886 yards, had 16 total touchdowns and seven interceptions as the Bulldogs struggled and finished with a 2-and-10 record.
But he showed some promise, including a 306-yard passing performance against Georgia. That also included three touchdowns and an interception.
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Van Buren will arrive on LSU’s campus with three years of eligibility left. If he plays four games or fewer in 2025, he could use that as a redshirt season and still have three years of eligibility left.
It still stings Underwood ended up at Michigan, but Van Buren seems like a solid back-up plan not only for the long-term future of the program, but if Nussmeier goes down with an injury next season.