St. Frances 4-star QB Michael Van Buren decommits from Oregon weeks before early signing period
The top-ranked quarterback recruit in Maryland is making a change.
Michael Van Buren, a four-star Class of 2024 prospect from St. Frances, announced Saturday on his Instagram that he’s decommitting from Oregon. The move comes less than a month before the start of the early signing period, with high school seniors officially able to sign their national letter of intent starting Dec. 20.
“Recruitment 100% back open,” he wrote in his announcement post.
In May, Van Buren announced his commitment to the Ducks on Instagram Live at a celebration with friends and family. The Bowie native chose Oregon over Maryland and Penn State, joining Panthers senior cornerback Ify Obidegwu.
No. 5 Oregon lost to No. 3 Washington in the final Pac-12 championship game Friday night, ending the Ducks’ hopes of reaching the College Football Playoff. Both schools, along with UCLA and Southern California, will join the Big Ten starting next season.
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“I have been thinking about this for about a month or so,” Van Buren told On3. “Oregon is a great school, but I just have to find the right fit and the right school for me.”
With redshirt senior Taulia Tagovailoa ending a record-setting college career, the Terps have an opening at quarterback. Redshirt sophomore Billy Edwards Jr., redshirt freshmen Cameron Edge and Jayden Sauray and true freshman Champ Long are the other quarterbacks on the roster, though none are as highly ranked as Van Buren. Three-star prospect Khristian Martin is the only signal-caller in the Terps’ 2024 recruiting class.
The 6-foot, 185-pound Van Buren is the 13th-best quarterback recruit in the country and the 174th overall player, according to the 247 Sports Composite rankings. While leading the Panthers to a 9-1 mark against some of the best teams in the country last season, he completed 112 of 198 passes (56.6%) for 1,707 yards and 18 touchdowns while adding 10 carries for 125 yards and two scores to earn first-team All-Metro honors from The Baltimore Sun.
The Panthers started this season with a national ranking but went 0-4 before winning five of their next seven games to finish 5-6.
