Journeyman College QB TJ Finley Signs to Play for Seventh School

Journeymen quarterbacks are nothing new in high-level football—they just don’t typically earn that distinction while still in college.

And yet, it is hard to describe TJ Finley as anything else, as he is set to continue one of the most unique college careers in recent memory. The combination of the NIL and transfer portal era, the extra seasons awarded to players due to the COVID-19-impacted 2020 season and the ever-evolving eligibility situation within college sports has Finley in position to play for a seventh program in as many seasons.

Finley has signed to play the 2026 season at FCS program Incarnate Word, as first reported by On3. The Cardinals are the first program at the FCS level that Finley will play for, despite the wild ride that he’s been on since beginning his college career in ‘20.

On3’s now ubiquitous graphic template, which features the logos of a players’ former programs and his transfer destination, was truly created for this moment.

TJ Finley’s topsy-turvy college journey

LSU Tigers quarterback TJ Finley drops back to pass against the Auburn Tigers. — TJ Finley’s long college career began at LSU in 2020. | John Reed-Imagn Images

A three-star quarterback out of Ponchatoula, La., Finley committed to play for in-state power LSU as a member of the 2020 recruiting class. At the time, the Tigers were fresh off of the Joe Burrow-led national championship. An injury to starter Myles Brennan foisted Finley into the starting lineup as a true freshman, and he went 2–3, completing 57.1% of his throws for 941 yards, five touchdowns and five interceptions, adding one touchdown on the ground.

Because he played through the abridged COVID-19-impacted season as a true freshman, the year did not count against Finley’s eligibility.

Finley found himself in a three-way quarterback battle the following season, running behind Brennan and Max Johnson for the job. After spring football, he entered the transfer portal, landing at Auburn, where he began the year as the backup to Bo Nix. Once again, he entered the starting lineup due to an injury to the starter, putting up better numbers (six touchdowns, one interception) than he did at LSU, but Auburn went 0–3 with him in the lineup. Finley began the 2022 season as starter after Nix’s transfer to Oregon, but a sprain of his AC joint cost him all but four games of that season.

As a result, Finley used a redshirt year and in May 2023, he entered the portal for a second time, heading to the Sun Belt to play at Texas State.

Finley thrived under first-year coach G.J. Kinne, leading the Bobcats to an 8–5 record and win in the First Responder Bowl. He threw for 3,439 yards, 24 touchdowns and eight interceptions in what has proven to be his only full season at the college level. He also became the father to twin boys that fall, which would lead his next portal decision.

“It’s just not feasible for me unless y'all could come up with something that we could do to better my situation,” Finley recalled telling Texas State, as he sought a bigger NIL package than the Sun Belt program could give him, per The Advocate.

“That was really just a decision that I made based off me having to provide for my boys, right? I wasn't gonna be able to sustain our lifestyle for not only myself, but for my boys, with no money. I would have just packed it up and went and worked at UPS or something like that. Just the money and the NIL aspect of it was a big factor.”

His journey led him to Western Kentucky, a program with a reputation for offense, but just three games into his Hilltoppers tenure he suffered a severe ankle injury that required two surgeries and ended his season. His seventh year of eligibility rests on an argument for a medical redshirt for the injury that derailed 2024 season. His move to Incarnate Word indicates that he and the program have gotten an indication that he will be eligible to play in ‘26.

After his short stint with WKU, Finley tried to head closer to home, transferring to Tulane. His tenure with the Green Wave ended before it began, when the quarterback was arrested for illegal possession of a stolen Dodge Ram that Finley said he bought on Facebook Marketplace—a transaction through which Finley’s attorneys argued he was the victim of a scam, per Nola.com. Finley was ordered to undergo decision-making counseling and Tulane suspended him, leading him to enter the portal yet again in the spring of 2025.

In August, just days ahead of the season, he landed at his sixth program: Georgia State. Finley made six starts and seven appearances, but is once again in the portal because the Panthers’ offensive identity doesn’t fit his skillset, he told The Advocate.

And now, the transfer portal’s most frequent visitor lands at Incarnate Word, looking to put together a second full season and prove that he has the next-level talent to match his impressive 6' 7" frame.

He seeks to help the Cardinals bounce back from a disappointing 5–7 season, the first losing campaign in three seasons under Clinton Killough, a year after the program went 11–3 and reached the quarterfinals of the FCS playoffs.

Incarnate Word has a recent history of strong quarterback play

While the Cardinals posted a losing record in 2025, quarterback E.J. Colson—a former Purdue and UCF transfer—completed nearly 71% of his throws for 2,142 yards, 16 touchdowns and four interceptions. He was the latest in a line of transfers in to the UIW programs who had successful stints in San Antonio.

Zach Calzada, who began his career at Texas A&M before playing with Finley at Auburn, threw for 3,744 yards, 35 touchdowns and nine picks for the Cardinals in 2024, his second year as starter at UIW. He played at Kentucky in ‘25.

Former LSU quarterback Lindsey Scott Jr. made his fifth college stop with the Cardinals, throwing for an eye-popping 4,657 yards, 60 touchdowns and eight interceptions in 2022.

Scott replaced the most famous former Cardinals signal caller, Cam Ward, who tossed for 4,648 yards, 47 touchdowns and 10 picks in 2021. He would move on to Washington State and Miami before becoming the No. 1 pick in the ‘25 NFL draft.

TJ Finley’s college stats

Season	Team	Games (Starts)	Comp. %	Pass Yards	YPA	TD	Int
2020	LSU	5 (5)	57.1	941	6.7	5	5
2021	Auburn	9 (3)	54.7	827	6.5	6	1
2022	Auburn	4 (3)	62.3	431	8.1	1	4
2023	Texas State	13 (3)	67.4	3,439	8.3	24	8
2024	WKU	3 (3)	64	491	6.5	1	2
2025	Georgia State	7 (6)	63.2	1,244	6.2	6	7

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