Tyler Jamal "T. J." Finley[1] (born March 25, 2002) is an American football quarterback for the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers. Finley attended and played high school football at Ponchatoula High School in Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana, and began his college career at LSU before transferring to Auburn the following year and then would transfer to Texas State two years later.
| Western Kentucky Hilltoppers – No. 7 | |
|---|---|
| Position | Quarterback |
| Class |  |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | March 25, 2002 Ponchatoula, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) |
| Weight | 255 lb (116 kg) |
| Career history | |
| College |
|
| Bowl games | |
| High school | Ponchatoula High School (Ponchatoula, Louisiana) |
| |
Early years edit
Finley grew up in Ponchatoula, Louisiana, and attended Ponchatoula High School.[2] He passed for 2,736 yards with 23 touchdowns and five interceptions in his junior season.[3] As a senior, Finley passed for 2,738 yards and 21 touchdowns and also scored eight rushing touchdowns.[4] Finley was rated a three-star prospect and the best quarterback prospect in the state and committed to play college football at LSU as a sophomore in high school over offers from Oregon, Alabama, and Auburn.[5]
College career edit
LSU edit
Finley enrolled at LSU a semester early in January 2020.[6][7] He was named the Tigers' starting quarterback leading up to team's October 24, 2020, game against South Carolina following an injury to starter Myles Brennan.[8] In his first career start, Finley completed 17 of 21 pass attempts for 265 yards with two touchdowns and an interception and rushed for 24 yards and a touchdown.[9] Finley started five games and finished the season with 80-of-140 passes for 941 yards with five touchdowns and five interceptions.[10]
After competing with quarterbacks Myles Brennan and Max Johnson in spring practice, Finley announced he would be entering the transfer portal.[11]
Auburn edit
On May 24, 2021, Finley announced that he would be transferring to Auburn over offers from Alabama, Penn State, and Houston.[12][13] On September 25, 2021, Finley would come in in the fourth quarter for a benched Bo Nix and throw the game winning touchdown versus Georgia State.[14] Finley was named Auburn's starting quarterback for the Tigers opening game of the 2022 season. On May 2, 2023, Finley announced his intention to transfer from the program.
Texas State edit
On January 16, 2024, Finley announced that he would enter the transfer portal for the third time.[15]
Western Kentucky edit
On January 22, 2024, Finley announced that he would transfer to Western Kentucky.[16]
College statistics edit
| Season | Games | Passing | Rushing | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Record | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Avg | TD | Int | Rtg | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | ||
| LSU Tigers | ||||||||||||||||
| 2020 | 5 | 5 | 2−3 | 80 | 140 | 57.1 | 941 | 6.7 | 5 | 5 | 118.2 | 29 | 34 | 1.2 | 1 | |
| Auburn Tigers | ||||||||||||||||
| 2021 | 9 | 3 | 0−3 | 70 | 128 | 54.7 | 827 | 6.5 | 6 | 1 | 122.9 | 20 | –36 | –1.8 | 1 | |
| 2022 | 4 | 3 | 2−1 | 33 | 53 | 62.3 | 431 | 8.1 | 1 | 4 | 121.7 | 17 | 33 | 1.9 | 1 | |
| Texas State Bobcats | ||||||||||||||||
| 2023 | 13 | 13 | 8−5 | 279 | 414 | 67.4 | 3,439 | 8.3 | 24 | 8 | 152.4 | 78 | 69 | 0.9 | 5 | |
| Western Kentucky Hilltoppers | ||||||||||||||||
| 2024 | 0 | 0 | 0−0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | |
| Career[17] | 31 | 24 | 12−12 | 462 | 735 | 62.9 | 5,638 | 7.7 | 36 | 18 | 138.6 | 144 | 100 | 0.7 | 8 | |
References edit
- ^ [1]
- ^ Gillen, Garland (May 10, 2019). "LSU commit and Ponchatoula QB T.J. Finley is turning heads with his height and arm". Fox8Live.com. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
- ^ "TJ Finley, 3-star QB out of Ponchatoula, stays in state, signs with LSU". The Advocate. December 18, 2019. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
- ^ Shipp, Sonny (December 18, 2019). "TJ Finley signs with Tigers". 247Sports. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
- ^ "'LSU really sold out for me': Ponchatoula 2020 QB prospect TJ Finley commits to Tigers". The Advocate. May 29, 2018. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
- ^ Dixon, Shea (January 28, 2019). "TJ Finley set to enroll early". 247Sports. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
- ^ Alexander, Wilson (October 25, 2020). "'He's built for this moment': LSU quarterback TJ Finley ready if Ed Orgeron calls his name". The Advocate. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
- ^ Scarborough, Alex (October 22, 2020). "LSU QB TJ Finley to start vs. South Carolina with Myles Brennan still hurt". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
- ^ Miller, Brody (October 24, 2020). "TJ Finley makes statement debut, leads LSU to bounce-back win vs. South Carolina". The Athletic. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
- ^ Kubena, Brooks (May 6, 2021). "Former LSU quarterback TJ Finley opens up about transfer decision, seeking 'best fit for me'". The Advocate. Retrieved May 10, 2021.
- ^ Rittenberg, Adam (May 6, 2021). "LSU Tigers quarterback TJ Finley enters NCAA transfer portal". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 10, 2021.
- ^ "Former LSU starting quarterback TJ Finley transferring to Auburn Tigers". ESPN.com. Associated Press. May 24, 2021. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
- ^ Zenitz, Matt (May 23, 2021). "Auburn, Alabama among finalists for SEC QB transfer". AL.com. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
- ^ Durando, Bennett (September 25, 2021). "How TJ Finley brought Auburn football from behind to avoid upset vs. Georgia State". Montgomery Advertiser. Retrieved September 30, 2021.
- ^ Backus, Will (January 16, 2024). "Texas State QB T.J. Finley enters transfer portal on heels of Jayden de Laura committing to Bobcats". CBS Sports. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
- ^ Barral, Kevin (January 22, 2024). "Transfer Portal: TJ Finley, Former Texas State QB, Commits To Western Kentucky". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
- ^ "T.J. Finley College Stats". Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved December 9, 2023.