2026 represents a new chapter for South Florida football, as the Bulls flip from the Alex Golesh era to the Brian Hartline era.
South Florida lost three-year starter Byrum Brown in the transfer portal, as the star dual-threat quarterback followed Golesh to Auburn. In return, the Bulls received a quarterback with substantial starting experience in the SEC.
South Florida received a commitment on Wednesday, Jan. 7 from quarterback Michael Van Buren Jr., who suited up at Mississippi State in 2024 and LSU
in 2025. Van Buren arrives with 12 games of starting experience, serving the majority of the 2024 campaign as the Bulldogs’ first-string QB and taking over as the Tigers’ starter during the last quarter and change of 2025.
As a true freshman in 2024, Van Buren threw for 1,886 yards, 11 touchdowns, and seven interceptions on a 54.7 completion rate. He collected 300 passing yards in two games that year, notably firing for 306 yards and three touchdowns in a 41-31 track meet defeat at Georgia.
Van Buren transferred to LSU in December 2024, entering the year as the backup to Garrett Nussmeier. He ultimately took over as the Tigers’ primary quarterback on Nov. 8 against Alabama and retained the starting role for the final four games. He captained victories over Arkansas and WKU and nearly guided LSU to a major upset over a CFP-bound Oklahoma squad. Van Buren earned his last start in purple and gold in the Texas Bowl vs. Houston, where he exhibited some of his best work to date. He accumulated 267 passing yards, three touchdowns, and zero interceptions on a 16-of-26 showing, guiding LSU to 35 points in a narrow defeat — when LSU never surpassed 25 against an FBS opponent in the regular season.
Van Buren’s mobility also improved as a true sophomore, racking up 129 yards on the season (105 in his four starts). The Bowie, MD native rattled off a 15+ yard carry in all four starts — a helpful trait if South Florida wants a similar style QB to Byrum Brown.
Speaking of Brown, Van Buren enters Tampa with massive shoes to fill. Brown is the only quarterback in USF history to surpass 3,000 passing yards in a season, and he did it twice. Brown just set the record for most passing touchdowns in a season by any Bull by 28, and he left the program ranked third all-time in rushing yards at 2,265.
Van Buren takes over as a potential starter under Hartline and his new staff, as the former SEC quarterback takes on his third different school in a three-year span.
