Don’t look now, but T.J. Finley may be proving Auburn football fans doubting him wrong with a strong spring performance.
The ending of last season left a sour taste in the mouths of Tiger fans after Bo Nix announced his intentions to transfer (after drawn-out deliberation) in December. But Finley promised an offseason of improvement and he is showing that off early in camp.
AL.com’s Nubyjas Wilborn reported several strong throws from Finley while the media was watching.
That’s all well and good. Defenders aren’t chasing him, and the pressure is at a minimum. But what gives the former LSU commit the biggest advantage in the QB battle is his established chemistry with the Auburn football OL:
"Auburn returns several members of last season’s offensive line, including Kilian Zierer, which could bode well for Finley to establish consistency.“T.J. started the last couple games, and with all the guys coming back, we know T.J., and he knows us. Of course, there’s always competition, especially in the spring because there’s more time than fall camp when you have to get ready for a game,” Zierer said before Wednesday’s practice. I don’t think it matters too much to the O-line, if you know how T.J. plays and his cadence and all that stuff, it helps compared to when the new guys come in, but it’s always the same for the O-line. It doesn’t change that much.”"
Zierer made sure to be PC and talk about every QB in the room and how the OL needs to adjust to each one’s play style. Read through the lines, though, and it’s clear that there’s loyalty to the guy that gutted through an injury in the Iron Bowl to lead the Tigers to 4OT against the eventual SEC Champions.
Zach Calzada’s injury could keep him behind the 8-ball, as Zierer noted that there’s more time in fall camp.
The chemistry Finley established with the OL last November, December, and during this spring, though, separates the current first-team QB from the rest of the pack.