TJ Finley doesn’t need to win the Auburn football quarterback battle in order to serve a valuable role for the Tigers in 2023 — this, at least, according to former AU offensive lineman and SEC analyst Cole Cubelic.
During the February 26 Cube Show, Cubelic laid out where Finley could help Auburn in what would be his third season on the Plains if he doesn’t take to the transfer portal after spring practice as has been rumored.
Cubelic sees Finley contributing as the veteran and top understudy should Robby Ashford, who is inexperienced due to his two redshirt seasons in Oregon and his injury-riddled senior year at Hoover, get benched for any reason (h/t Auburn Daily):
"“TJ Finley still has a lot of experience; keep in mind TJ Finley’s played a lot of football. He was forced into being a starter at LSU. Bo Nix goes down; he’s a starter at Auburn. He got the start in the bowl game, so he’s played in a post-season game. I think people forget sometimes that TJ Finley, even though it all hasn’t been great, he’s played a lot of football. I do think there may be some development left in TJ.”“Now he doesn’t add the dynamic run ability that Robby does, but he’s a guy that still could give you a veteran presence from a certain standpoint that’s played a lot of ball that could potentially help you out. Maybe as a starter or maybe just as a backup who needs to come in and play at times on the roster. We’ve seen across college football you better have two that can play.”"
TJ Finley could be the greatest example between current and former Auburn football head coaches
Now that the Bryan Harsin era is all said and done, many look back at his insistence to get Finley into the QB1 slot as one of the defining mistakes of his legacy. Finley struggled at LSU and never was able to be a consistent passer on the Plains under Harsin, Mike Bobo in 2021, and Eric Kiesau in 2022.
That he’s still on the roster means all hope is not lost, though. If Finley wanted out of the Auburn football program badly enough, he wouldn’t be throwing passes during spring practice right now, since he had an out to play with his brother at Southeastern Louisiana back in his home state.
Robby Ashford and TJ Finley during passing drills during first practice of spring practice. pic.twitter.com/VOKmvjDT8F
— Brian Stultz (@brianjstultz) February 27, 2023
Hugh Freeze getting the most out of the enormous potential of the big armed six-foot-seven gunslinger would be one of the many tangible disparities between the last coaching staff and the current one.