Michael Van Buren put together his best statistical performance as LSU Tiger in the Texas Bowl. The Mississippi State transfer QB completed 16 of his 26 pass attempts for a season-high 267 yards and 3 touchdowns with no interceptions. He also added 24 rushing yards.
The best WR on the market just became available and Lane Kiffin needs to act
However, it ultimately wasn't enough as LSU fell to Houston by a score of 38-35. The loss puts a wrap on LSU's tumultuous 2025 season, and all eyes now turn to Lane Kiffin as he continues building LSU's roster for the 2026 season.
Van Buren is one player eyeing a potential return to LSU, and his impressive performance in the Texas Bowl served as a strong audition for Kiffin and his coaching staff. But Kiffin figures to be busy in the transfer portal looking for multiple QBs, which could leave Van Buren's future in Baton Rouge up in the air.
Michael Van Buren expresses desire to return to LSU
Back when Brian Kelly was fired at the end of October, Van Buren stated that he intended to stay with the LSU program amid the coaching change. That's a sentiment he repeated after the Texas Bowl on Saturday night.
"LSU, Baton Rouge is where I want to be," said Van Buren when speaking to the media. "Whatever happens after that happens."
"LSU, Baton Rouge is where I want to be."@LSUfootball Michael Van Buren had his best statistical game of the year in @TexasBowl. Will he stay at #LSU with @Lane_Kiffin?
— Jacques Doucet (@JacquesDoucet) December 28, 2025
Van Buren discusses that and his QB teammate Garrett Nussmeier.
"He'll forever be a brother to me." pic.twitter.com/8qUv6hbown
As it stands, Van Buren is the only scholarship QB on LSU's roster for next season. With that in mind, Kiffin is expected to go QB shopping in the portal when it opens up later this week on January 2. He has plenty of options to explore. According to Saturday Blitz, the top-5 available QBs in the portal include Cincinnati's Brendan Sorsby, Arizona State's Sam Leavitt, North Texas' Drew Mestemaker, Florida's DJ Lagway, and Nebraska's Dylan Raiola.
Van Buren started LSU's final 3 games of the regular season as well as the Texas Bowl against Houston. In total, Van Buren appeared in 7 games while completed 62.3% of his passes for 1,010 yards and 8 touchdowns with 2 interceptions. He was also effective using his legs, collecting 129 yards and a touchdown on the ground.
He's a dynamic athlete who brings a solid dual-threat ability to the LSU offense. That proved to be a great fit for Kiffin's offenses at Ole Miss, most recently with Trinidad Chambliss bursting onto the scene this season. However, Van Buren has shown plenty of inconsistencies, so it will be interesting to see how Kiffin approaches his QB situation for 2026.
After such a disappointing season - especially offensively - LSU fans are excited to see what Kiffin cooks up for 2026. Ole Miss was among the highest-scoring teams in the country this season, and LSU would love for that success to translate to Baton Rouge in Kiffin's first season at the helm of the LSU program.