Former LSU Football Quarterback, Prized Prospect Reveals Transfer Destination

LSU signal-caller AJ Swann quickly finds his new home, heading to the Sun Belt in 2025.

Sep 21, 2024; Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA; LSU Tigers quarterback AJ Swann (15) during warmups before a game against the UCLA Bruins at Tiger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

LSU quarterback AJ Swann revealed his intentions to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal in December after spending one season in Baton Rouge.

Despite the decision, Swann chose to stay with the Tigers through their bowl game matchup against the Baylor Bears on Dec. 31 in Houston (Tex.).

The 6-foot-2, 212-pounder transferred to LSU last offseason after a pair of seasons with the Vanderbilt Commodores.

In his two seasons as a Commodore, Swann made 15 appearances and 12 starts. He started in all six games he played in during the 2023 season, tallying 1,457 passing yards and 12 touchdowns with only seven interceptions.

Fast forward to the 2024 season and Swann served as the backup for starting signal-caller Garrett Nussmeier alongside Rickie Collins and Colin Hurley.

Now, Swann has revealed his transfer destination: The Appalachian State Mountaineers.

BREAKING: Former Vandy & LSU QB AJ Swann has Committed to App State, he tells @on3sports

The 6’3 215 QB has totaled 2,741 Yards & 22 TDs in his college career thus far

2 years of eligibility remaining https://t.co/RlUbB6Fk7q pic.twitter.com/BcxdCmdBrr

— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) January 3, 2025

There has been significant turnover in the LSU quarterback room this offseason with one addition and now two departures.

The Departure: Rickie Collins

Collins and Swann will now depart Baton Rouge following the 2024 season.

For Collins, the redshirt-freshman appeared in three games this season where he tallied 35 total yards on five passing attempts. He also logged 18 yards on four carries.

In 2023, Collins appeared in only one game during his true freshman campaign where he completed both of his passing attempts for 19 yards.

Collins utilized 2023 as a redshirt year during his first season with the LSU program.

The Louisiana native was a four-star prospect out of high school after lighting it up at Baton Rouge (La.) Woodlawn High. Collins was a Top 20 quarterback in America.

During his recruiting process, Collins was originally committed to the Purdue Boilermakers before flipping his pledge to the LSU Tigers prior to his senior campaign.

Collins will head to Syracuse for the 2025 season.

The Addition: Michael Van Buren

Standout quarterback Michael Van Buren Jr. has signed with LSU and will join the Tigers for the 2025 season.

Van Buren recently completed his first season at Mississippi State where he started the final eight games of the season for the Bulldogs.

In 10 appearances as a true freshman in 2024, Van Buren completed 140-of-256 passes for 1,886 yards and 11 touchdowns. He added another five rushing TDs for the Bulldogs.

He was named SEC Freshman of the Week against Georgia when he completed 20-of-37 passes for 306 yards and three touchdowns.

The Georgia contest began a three-game stretch for Van Buren where he threw for eight touchdowns. He followed the Georgia game with 242 passing yards and three touchdowns against Texas A&M and then threw for a career-best 309 yards and two scores against Arkansas.

He closed his rookie season at Mississippi State with 280 passing yards and two TDs (1 rushing, 1 passing) against Ole Miss.

Van Buren was a four-star recruit from St. Frances Academy in Baltimore, choosing Mississippi State over Oregon. He helped St. Frances Academy to back-to-back national Top 10 finishes in 2021 and 2022.

The 2024 Departures (17):

- Rickie Collins: Quarterback (Syracuse)
- Landon Ibieta: Wide Receiver
- CJ Daniels: Wide Receiver (Miami)
- Dashawn Womack: EDGE (Ole Miss)
- Jordan Allen: Safety (Houston)
- Shelton Sampson: Wide Receiver (Louisiana-Lafayette)
- Kylin Jackson: Defensive Back (TCU)
- Xavier Atkins: Linebacker (Auburn)
- Jyaire Brown: Cornerback (UCF)
- Bernard Causey: Cornerback
- Nathan Dibert: Kicker (Eastern Michigan)
- De'Myrion Johnson: Defensive Tackle
- JK Johnson: Cornerback (Oklahoma State)
- Ka'Morreun Pimpton: Tight End (TCU)
- Jay'viar Suggs: Defensive Tackle
- Sage Ryan: Defensive Back (Ole Miss)
- AJ Swann: Quarterback (App State)

Who have the Tigers gained commitments from?

The Additions on Offense (7):
- TE Bauer Sharp: Oklahoma
- WR Barion Brown: Kentucky
- QB Michael Van Buren: Mississippi State
- WR Destyn Hill: Florida State
- WR Nic Anderson: Oklahoma
- OL Braelin Moore: Virginia Tech
- OL Josh Thompson: Northwestern

The Additions on Defense (6):
- CB Ja'Keem Jackson: Florida
- EDGE Jimari Butler: Nebraska
- EDGE Jack Pyburn: Florida
- CB Mansoor Delane: Virginia Tech
- DL Sydir Mitchell: Texas
- EDGE Patrick Payton: Florida State

The Special Teams Additions (1):
Punter Grant Chadwick: Middle Tennessee

More LSU News:

LSU Adds Commitments From Seven Top-100 Transfers in the Portal

LSU Dishes Out Offer to No. 1 Quarterback in America

Nick Saban Calls LSU Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier a "Sleeper" Ahead of 2024 Season

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Follow Zack Nagy on Twitter: @znagy20 and LSU Tigers On SI: @LSUTigersSI for all coverage surrounding the LSU program.