Auburn football analyst sees fit between transfer QB and CFP team
Outbound Auburn football transfer portal quarterback T.J. Finley has been linked to Ohio State for a few months now, and with his immediate eligibility granted upon being a graduate, the six-foot-seven quarterback’s fit with the Buckeyes is readily apparent to Auburn Daily’s Matthew Jacobs.
“The Buckeyes are in bad need of any quarterback help they can find, and T.J. Finley was a starter at an SEC school,” Jacobs wrote. “The reaction seems to be mixed in the Ohio State fanbase, but this is quarterback help with experience they need. ”
The QB situation in Columbus is fluid after the departure of CJ Stroud to the NFL, with neither Kyle McCord or Devin Brown taking the reigns as the clear starter under center. Grad transfer Tristan Gebbia, a Class of 2017 recruit entering his seventh season at the collegiate level after redshirting at Nebraska for two seasons and spending four at Oregon State, is there to be a mentor more than a potential starter. Finley has more experience than McCord and Brown, having nearly beaten Alabama during the 2021 Iron Bowl and nearly knocking off AAC runner-up and 11-win Houston in that year’s Birmingham Bowl.
Auburn football QB transfer TJ Finley linked to Alabama
Jacobs threw out the wild possibility of Finley making the move to Tuscaloosa to become a member of the Crimson Tide — which would make the Bryan Harsin recruit one of the most hated men in East Central Alabama — while also calling an Ohio State transfer “at least” a lateral move.
“There is very little opportunity for him in the SEC (maybe Alabama?) but a big-time perennial national championship contender would be a lateral move at least, and some would say it would be a step up,” Jacobs wrote.
Alabama just brought on Notre Dame transfer Tyler Buchner to reunite with former Fighting Irish offensive coordinator Tommy Rees, so it’s unlikely there’ be another transfer so soon — unless Nick Saban wanted to run several of his quarterbacks off to the transfer portal. Still, until the situation under center is stable, perhaps Alabama is still an option for transfer QBs.