5 new teams for Mississippi State QB Michael Van Buren Jr. to win early and win often

Whoever ends up landing former Mississippi State Bulldogs quarterback Michael Van Buren Jr. in the transfer portal will not only win, but will win often. Yes, Mississippi State was one of the worst teams in the Power Four this past season, but the Bulldogs played so hard for their first-time head coach Jeff Lebby. One of their shining stars from his past season was their sensational freshman quarterback.

It is safe to say, but the college football world has taken notice. Yes, his entry into the transfer portal may have a bit more to do with Mississippi State being in hot pursuit of former Oklahoma starting quarterback Jackson Arnold, who played under Lebby in Norman when he was the Sooners' offensive coordinator. However, SEC coaches know how hard this league is and Van Buren can ball!

Even if his college football career does not prove to be anything close to linear at the end of the day, Van Buren's talent for the quarterback position is obvious. With the right coaching, better yet, the right surrounding cast, he can achieve all that he can with his four-star talent coming out of high school in Baltimore. I would venture to guess he would be quite the commodity in the portal now.

For a team that had little going its way last year, Van Buren shined in the most dire of circumstances.

Let's put Van Buren onto a new team, starting with one who is eerily similar to one Mississippi State...

5. Vanderbilt Commodores

As I mentioned yesterday when it came to former Duke quarterback Maalik Murphy going back into the transfer portal, Vanderbilt is a sneaky-good option for a quarterback on the come up with something to prove. We saw how great Diego Pavia was in his lone year at Vandy after transferring over from New Mexico State. Clark Lea is not going anywhere, but Pavia will be all out of eligibility.

Vanderbilt is the other incredibly tough job in the SEC. It is the second school in a football rabid state. Neither have had the financial resources to overcome a historically losing tradition. However, when it is good at either place, it is catches the attention of the rest of the college football world. Van Buren may have his eyes set on a bigger and better opportunity, but Vanderbilt is certainly trending up now.

If Lea can land the right quarterback in the transfer portal for next season, Vandy can be a bowl team.

4. Georgia Bulldogs

The Georgia Bulldogs will have a slew of tough decisions to make. Will they stick with Gunner Stockton? Would Carson Beck even think about coming back? Could they pivot to someone like Jaden Rashada, Ryan Puglisi, Ryan Montgomery or someone else entirely? The point is Georgia is one of the best teams in the country, but they could be completely unsettled at quarterback soon.

In one of the first games where the college football world took notice of Van Buren's talent, Mississippi State gave Georgia all it could handle Between the Hedges. Although Georgia head coach Kirby Smart may have pushed him on the sidelines while trying to get to defensive coordinator Glenn Schumann, he saw the mess he made of Schumann's defense. Van Buren may be coming to Athens.

I think clearer opportunities to start are out there for Van Buren, but Georgia is not going away either.

3. Auburn Tigers

Trying to figure out what Auburn wants to do is impossible. The Tigers have been tied to former Oklahoma quarterback Jackson Arnold, as well as former Stanford quarterback Ashton Daniels. Hugh Freeze did hit the transfer portal previously at quarterback by prying Payton Thorne out of Michigan State, but that was to little success. His former Liberty star Kaidon Salter is also portal-ing.

What I am getting at is Auburn needs to do something at the quarterback position this offseason, anything really. Van Buren already plays in the SEC, so he has some familiarity with the conference and everything that goes along with that. Admittedly, Auburn is probably just one good quarterback away from being three or more wins better next year. Again, Freeze has to win to keep his job in 2026.

Auburn will be a major player for a quarterback in the transfer portal until they land their next target.

2. Oregon Ducks

Oregon was the school Van Buren was initially committed to. While he was only committed to the Ducks for about two months, Dan Lanning and his staff do have quite a lot of knowledge about the player. Will Stein remains as the Ducks offensive coordinator, although he is still somewhat a candidate to land any of these potential head-coaching vacancies. Oregon is still a real player here.

My concern about Van Buren going to Oregon is the Ducks already have Dante Moore waiting in the wing. This will be Dillon Gabriel's last year of college football, as he is turning pro once his final year of eligibility is exhausted. Van Buren is immensely talented, but Moore is even more so. I would venture to guess that if Van Buren does indeed leave Mississippi State it will be for a real starting opportunity.

A lot can change between now and then, but Oregon should be one of the teams I would consider.

1. LSU Tigers

It has to be LSU. With Garrett Nussmeier potentially turning pro, LSU has done as good of a job as anyone of identifying and developing transfer portal quarterback talent. Look no further than Joe Burrow coming over from Ohio State and Jayden Daniels coming to Baton Rouge by way of Arizona State. Neither were crushing it at their former Power Five school. Look at the legends they became.

I cannot put my finger on it, but Van Buren offers a certain pizzaz that other transfer portal quarterbacks do not offer. Again, where he lands matters, but LSU would be one of the very best landing spots for him out of the transfer portal. The fact that LSU used to compete with Mississippi State for years in the old SEC West would make this quite the compelling transfer portal destination.

LSU has gambled big on a few transfer portal quarterbacks, and has won big pretty much every time.