Brian Hartline made his first big decision as the new head coach of the South Florida Bulls on Monday as he named Michael Van Buren Jr. the starting quarterback for the team. Van Buren Jr. was in a months-long battle with fellow transfer Luke Kromenhoek before today’s decision.

Van Buren Jr., who transferred in from LSU, came off a sophomore season in which he impressed when given opportunities. He completed 62% of his passes and threw for just over 1,000 yards along with eight touchdowns and only two interceptions. 

Over the course of his career, Van Buren Jr. has totaled 17 games in the past two seasons in the SEC. His most recent stretch of extended playing time came in the final four games of last season, when he started all four games for LSU. The Tigers went 2-2 in Van Buren Jr.’s four starts, with their only losses being against No. 8 and No. 21 Houston.

Van Buren Jr. will be under pressure to produce immediately as he follows up one of the greatest quarterback seasons in South Florida history from Byrum Brown. Brown threw for 3,158 yards with 28 touchdowns along with another 1,008 yards on the ground and 14 touchdowns. 

The Bulls offense was one of the most dynamic in the country last year, and with a reworked receiver room and Van Buren Jr. taking over the reins they will look to pick up where they left off last year as one of the top offenses in the American Conference.

South Florida will kick off its season Sept. 5 at 7 p.m. against the Florida International University Panthers. The game will take place at Raymond James Stadium, marking the last home opener there before the Bulls’ on-campus stadium is ready next year.