Auburn's 50 most valuable players: No. 19

[aubiefifty 18,231]

Next in the countdown is No. 19: sophomore quarterback TJ Finley.

AS A RECRUIT

Hometown: Ponchatoula, Louisiana

Class: 2020 (high school), 2021 (Auburn transfer)

Ranking nationally: No. 19 pro-style QB, No. 21 player in Louisiana

Committed to Auburn (transfer): May 24, 2021

247 scouting report: "Enormous QB prospect with elite height. Built similarly to a big tight end. Pro-style pocket passer with an arm that matches the size. Unafraid to take shots down the field. Drives the ball vertically with power. Whips the ball out with ease. Fires it with zip in the short to intermediate passing game. Shows impressive touch in the red zone on corner and timing routes. Will stand in and deliver under duress. Winds up a bit and can improve release quickness. Footwork needs to tighten and become more consistent. Shows promise throwing on the move, but not a big-play running threat mobility-wise. Big-framed, big-armed pro-style QB with raw tools and high ceiling."

247 player comparison: Feleipe Franks

AS A PLAYER

After landing the in-state standout, Ed Orgeron envisioned Finley as a project player for the future — a big, pro-style passer with plenty of tools to mold over the course of a couple seasons. LSU needed him much sooner than expected, however. Starter Myles Brennan was injured early in the season, and Finley beat out Max Johnson to be his replacement.

Finley looked to be the right choice by Orgeron in his debut, completing 81% of his passes for 265 yards and three total touchdowns in LSU's blowout win over South Carolina. The Bayou Bengals' offenses skidded to a halt against Auburn the following week, however, with Finley committing three turnovers.

The 6-foot-6 Finley bounced back with another strong outing against Arkansas, going 27-of-42 with a career-high 271 yards and a pair of scores in LSU's win over the Hogs. He struggled against a pair of top-10 defenses — Texas A&M and Alabama — while sharing QB duties with Johnson, who took over the offense in LSU's two consecutive wins over Florida and Ole Miss to end the season.

After appearing to exit LSU's spring practices as the third quarterback on the depth chart behind a healthy Brennan and Johnson, Finley entered the transfer portal May 5. A week later, Auburn Undercover reported Finley's interest in Bryan Harsin's program as a landing spot. Finley said he and Harsin spoke daily, and that the Tigers' new coaches expressed to him that he could come in and compete with incumbent, two-year starter Bo Nix for QB1.

"They don't have a lot of quarterbacks in the room behind Bo that can step in and play and I feel like they lack experience behind Bo," Finley said. "And there is an opportunity there. A lot of people in the organization there since the new staff got there believe I can come in and compete for the starting job. It ain't like me going there to be a backup."

Finley's transfer recruitment illustrated how his skill set and potential as a passer are perceived around the country, considering he chose Auburn over offers from Alabama, Ohio State, Georgia, Texas and Penn State, among others.

2021 OUTLOOK

Finley's style as a quarterback differs from Nix's. The bigger and stronger Finley will stand in behind his offensive line until the last possible second, trying to use his cannon of an arm to deliver passes to the correct read; sometimes it gets him in trouble, like when Auburn edge rusher Derick Hall strip-sacked him because he didn't get rid of the ball. Nix will often maneuver outside of the pocket with his quickness and athleticism to avoid sacks; he pays for that sometimes, too, by taking his eyes off his receivers.

At the same time, Finley's frame and tendencies — Auburn lists him at 6-foot-7 and 246 pounds — could be more of what Harsin and offensive coordinator Mike Bobo are looking for in their pro-style system down the road.

But that is, as mentioned, down the road. Nix will enter 2021 preseason practices as the starter, but that doesn't mean he won't be feeling the pressure of a confident Finley nipping at his heels.

How much pressure Finley can apply will depend on how quickly — and effectively — he learns the offense after not being with Auburn for spring practices. Harsin said at SEC Media Days that Finley has been a "quick study" so far, and Nix, who's no stranger to competition for Auburn's starting quarterback job, mentioned how he's been helping the LSU transfer learn the playbook over the past couple months.

With four-star freshman Dematrius Davis also in the room, Auburn has layers of talented depth at quarterback for the first time since Joey Gatewood was still on campus. That's no small thing; just ask Finley's former team, which was forced to name Johnson its starting quarterback this week after it was announced Brennan will be out indefinitely after surgery for a broken arm.

Even if Finley doesn't supplant Nix and only appears in mop-up duty, his value for the offense as a ready-to-play backup SEC starting experience will be plenty valuable.

WHAT THEY SAID

"TJ, obviously, was a good transfer for us. He's a big, strong guy with a good arm and a fast release. I've just done everything I can to help him learn the offense because I know how it was for me at the beginning." — Nix

[Hank2020 3,355]

5 hours ago, aubiefifty said:

Next in the countdown is No. 19: sophomore quarterback TJ Finley.

AS A RECRUIT

Hometown: Ponchatoula, Louisiana

Class: 2020 (high school), 2021 (Auburn transfer)

Ranking nationally: No. 19 pro-style QB, No. 21 player in Louisiana

Committed to Auburn (transfer): May 24, 2021

247 scouting report: "Enormous QB prospect with elite height. Built similarly to a big tight end. Pro-style pocket passer with an arm that matches the size. Unafraid to take shots down the field. Drives the ball vertically with power. Whips the ball out with ease. Fires it with zip in the short to intermediate passing game. Shows impressive touch in the red zone on corner and timing routes. Will stand in and deliver under duress. Winds up a bit and can improve release quickness. Footwork needs to tighten and become more consistent. Shows promise throwing on the move, but not a big-play running threat mobility-wise. Big-framed, big-armed pro-style QB with raw tools and high ceiling."

247 player comparison: Feleipe Franks

AS A PLAYER

After landing the in-state standout, Ed Orgeron envisioned Finley as a project player for the future — a big, pro-style passer with plenty of tools to mold over the course of a couple seasons. LSU needed him much sooner than expected, however. Starter Myles Brennan was injured early in the season, and Finley beat out Max Johnson to be his replacement.

Finley looked to be the right choice by Orgeron in his debut, completing 81% of his passes for 265 yards and three total touchdowns in LSU's blowout win over South Carolina. The Bayou Bengals' offenses skidded to a halt against Auburn the following week, however, with Finley committing three turnovers.

The 6-foot-6 Finley bounced back with another strong outing against Arkansas, going 27-of-42 with a career-high 271 yards and a pair of scores in LSU's win over the Hogs. He struggled against a pair of top-10 defenses — Texas A&M and Alabama — while sharing QB duties with Johnson, who took over the offense in LSU's two consecutive wins over Florida and Ole Miss to end the season.

After appearing to exit LSU's spring practices as the third quarterback on the depth chart behind a healthy Brennan and Johnson, Finley entered the transfer portal May 5. A week later, Auburn Undercover reported Finley's interest in Bryan Harsin's program as a landing spot. Finley said he and Harsin spoke daily, and that the Tigers' new coaches expressed to him that he could come in and compete with incumbent, two-year starter Bo Nix for QB1.

"They don't have a lot of quarterbacks in the room behind Bo that can step in and play and I feel like they lack experience behind Bo," Finley said. "And there is an opportunity there. A lot of people in the organization there since the new staff got there believe I can come in and compete for the starting job. It ain't like me going there to be a backup."

Finley's transfer recruitment illustrated how his skill set and potential as a passer are perceived around the country, considering he chose Auburn over offers from Alabama, Ohio State, Georgia, Texas and Penn State, among others.

2021 OUTLOOK

Finley's style as a quarterback differs from Nix's. The bigger and stronger Finley will stand in behind his offensive line until the last possible second, trying to use his cannon of an arm to deliver passes to the correct read; sometimes it gets him in trouble, like when Auburn edge rusher Derick Hall strip-sacked him because he didn't get rid of the ball. Nix will often maneuver outside of the pocket with his quickness and athleticism to avoid sacks; he pays for that sometimes, too, by taking his eyes off his receivers.

At the same time, Finley's frame and tendencies — Auburn lists him at 6-foot-7 and 246 pounds — could be more of what Harsin and offensive coordinator Mike Bobo are looking for in their pro-style system down the road.

But that is, as mentioned, down the road. Nix will enter 2021 preseason practices as the starter, but that doesn't mean he won't be feeling the pressure of a confident Finley nipping at his heels.

How much pressure Finley can apply will depend on how quickly — and effectively — he learns the offense after not being with Auburn for spring practices. Harsin said at SEC Media Days that Finley has been a "quick study" so far, and Nix, who's no stranger to competition for Auburn's starting quarterback job, mentioned how he's been helping the LSU transfer learn the playbook over the past couple months.

With four-star freshman Dematrius Davis also in the room, Auburn has layers of talented depth at quarterback for the first time since Joey Gatewood was still on campus. That's no small thing; just ask Finley's former team, which was forced to name Johnson its starting quarterback this week after it was announced Brennan will be out indefinitely after surgery for a broken arm.

Even if Finley doesn't supplant Nix and only appears in mop-up duty, his value for the offense as a ready-to-play backup SEC starting experience will be plenty valuable.

WHAT THEY SAID

"TJ, obviously, was a good transfer for us. He's a big, strong guy with a good arm and a fast release. I've just done everything I can to help him learn the offense because I know how it was for me at the beginning." — Nix

No way this guy should be here (IMO). How can you rate him higher than players that we know will start(basis what was done last year).