By KACE KIESCHNICK, Tiger Rag Staff Reporter
While some college football players are redefining NCAA rules by leaving for the NFL and returning to college football, others are prolonging their time as an “amateur” the old-school way — bouncing around schools until they find a spot with the role they are looking for.
Two former LSU quarterbacks have been named starters in the Group of Six this season.
Max Johnson has landed at Georgia Southern to conclude his seven-year college football odyssey. Johnson was a class of 2020 signee at LSU, the same class as fourth-year NFL wide receiver Kayshon Boutte and quarterback TJ Finley, who was set to attend his seventh different school this season before declaring for the NFL Draft. Johnson appeared in six games and started twice as a freshman before becoming the full-time LSU starter in 2021. After leading the Tigers to a 6-6 regular season with 2,815 passing yards and 27 touchdowns, Johnson transferred to Texas A&M.
In 2022, Johnson began the season as the Aggies’ backup. He took over the starting job after an upset loss to Appalachian State and earned two ranked wins over No. 13 Miami and No. 10 Arkansas but suffered a season-ending injury to his throwing hand in his third start versus Mississippi State. He again took over starting duties after starting the season as a second-teamer in 2023 and appeared in eight games with five starts.
He then transferred to North Carolina but suffered a devastating leg fracture in the season opener that required five surgeries and ended his 2024 campaign. Johnson played in four games for the Tarheels last season and transferred to Georgia Southern in January.
The 25-year-old will have played long enough for almost two full collegiate careers but has appeared in just 35 games and totaled 6,355 passing yards, 49 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. He saw Ed Orgeron get fired from LSU in 2021, Jimbo Fisher from A&M in 2023 and Mack Brown from UNC in 2024. He watched the legalization of name, image, and likeness deals before his second season and may see college football’s first former NFL signee take the field at LSU this year. Georgia Southern kicks off its season on Sept. 5 versus Charleston Southern.
The other former Tiger staring at a new school is a more recent name to LSU fans — South Florida’s Michael Van Buren Jr. Van Buren started the final four games of last season as Garrett Nussmeier dealt with a spinal cyst that went undiagnosed until the NFL combine. He completed 94-of-151 passes for 1,010 yards, eight touchdowns and two interceptions while running for 129 yards and a touchdown and went 2-2 as the starter.
Van Buren will be a junior at USF this season and enters his third stop in as many years. His college career started at Mississippi State, where he appeared in 10 games and went 1-7 as a starter in 2024. Van Buren and the Bulls open their season Sept. 5 against Florida International.
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