On3 Sports’ JD PicKell is not sold on T.J. Finley making it work with Auburn football in what would be his third season on the Plains and fourth season overall in 2023 — going as far as to question whether either party needs to revisit the arrangement under a new coaching staff.
Finley was the starting quarterback coming out of fall camp in 2022, though Bryan Harsin never committed to him fully — giving Robby Ashford snaps in a position battle that spilled into Week 3 of last season. Once Finley’s father chimed in criticizing the coaching staff and Ashford led the offense under center in a game that was more of a Missouri loss than AU win, the six-foot-seven’s Tigers career ended indefinitely.
PicKell believes the indefinite status will turn into definitive after spring camp, where he feels Finley will use to sharpen his skills before graduating and transferring as a graduate student with immediate eligibility (h/t Auburn Daily’s Zac Blackerby):
"“TJ Finley has shown you who he is at Auburn, he has shown you what he can do at Auburn. I don’t know that we need to keep revisiting this. That sounds a little bit harsh or probably is a little bit harsh. I’m not here to dunk on TJ Finley but if you talk about success in 2023? I think you likely see him transferring out after the spring.”“That’s just my feel on it. I would love to be wrong. I pull for TJ Finley. I think he has gotten a lot of criticism that’s not warranted. But, still, that production, to me, is not a small sample size. It’s a reasonably large sample size at Auburn. I think Robby Ashford is who you look to as QB1 through spring going forward. If TJ Finley can push him? Great. But the feel around Auburn is that TJ Finley will eventually jump in the portal post-spring.”"
T.J. Finley is better off leaving Auburn football
Hugh Freeze has been particularly harsh on the quarterback room in his assessment of the Auburn football roster, and it’s possible Finley was the primary aim of his criticisms. Freeze feels the room is not there yet mentally and has also made clear his disdain for off-field incidents. Finley had a famous motorized scooter run-in with the police last year, and has thrown just two less interceptions than touchdowns in his three-year career at LSU and Auburn.
At this point, the majority want Ashford, and others are intrigued by what Holden Geriner and Hank Brown have to show. We know what Finley has to show: a big arm but a questionable fit in orange and blue.
There’s little doubt a player with Finley’s skillset could thrive. He may just be better off giving it a go elsewhere.