Stephen Lew-Imagn Images
By Hunt Palmer
December was supposed to the bow on Garrett Nussmeier’s fifth season as an LSU Tiger.
Nothing went to plan for LSU this fall, though.
Instead, Michael Van Buren has taken the reins of the offense for the season’s last three weeks. When LSU walks off the NRG Stadium field on Dec. 27, Van Buren will be the only scholarship quarterback on the roster moving into the Lane Kiffin era.
Nussmeier is on to the professional ranks, and Colin Hurley is headed to the transfer portal.
Kiffin and his staff will scour the transfer portal for signal callers, but Van Buren is an option. With that in mind, let’s look at how he’s performed in his audition.
DEPTH
LSU has leaned heavily on the short passing game with Van Buren.
- 29% of his throws have come behind the line of scrimmage
- 56% of throws have been under 10 yards in the air
- Only 10 times this season (8%) has he thrown the ball 20 yards in the air, and only three of those have been caught
The longest passing play on any of Van Buren’s 126 throws has gone for 34 yards. He threw a season high 43 times against Western Kentucky, and LSU’s longest gain on those passes was 23 yards.
Simply, LSU has not had a down field threat all season. That has not changed with Van Buren behind center. The case could have been made that the absence of that dimension was due to Nussmeier’s oblique injury. That hasn’t been the case.
PROTECTION
One constant for LSU has been subpar offensive line play. Both play callers have relied on screens to minimize the pass rush they cleared feared.
Because of the quick passing game, Van Buren was only pressured on 18 throws this season. He was 9-for-18 (50%) when pressured. He threw a pair of touchdowns and wasn’t intercepted.
However, blitzes were effective.
- Blitzed: 21/41 (51%) 1 TD, 1 INT
- Not Blitzed: 58/85 (68%) 4 TD, 1 INT
RUSHING THREAT
Van Buren is clearly the more athletic option for LSU. Nussmeier is a better athlete than most think, but he does not willingly run.
There was a thought that Van Buren would add a threat with his legs.
Taking out sacks, Van Buren ran for 171 yards and a touchdown. The 35-yard run was a huge play against Arkansas, and the game-winning touchdown in that one was a product of his ability to move away from pressure and extend the play.
Van Buren to Sharp for the LEAD @bauersharp15 | 📺 SEC Network pic.twitter.com/tagRhTx7zH
— LSU Football (@LSUfootball) November 15, 2025
He also took off for a 23-yard run when yards were tough to come by against Oklahoma.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Van Buren hasn’t brought much more to the LSU offense since taking over. This unit was broken before the got behind the wheel. He was dealing with a new play caller and a patchwork offensive line.
His accuracy has been less than ideal, but windows can be tight when defenses aren’t concerned with the running game or the deep ball.
In my opinion, it’s unlikely Van Buren is LSU’s starter next season, but keeping him around would be beneficial because LSU needs some numbers at the position.
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