Seven Schools In Seven Seasons: TJ Finley's Wild CFB Journey Will End At The FCS Level

I'm not sure if there has ever been a player who has had a crazier college football career than TJ Finley.

Finley started his career at LSU in 2020, where he started five games as a true freshman. Nobody would have thought that six years later, Finley would be transferring to his 7th different school in seven years.

Someday, there will be an ESPN documentary made on the transfer portal era of college football, and Finley's career will be the perfect example of the chaotic landscape of the sport right now.

Until then, we get to see if Finley's final stop will be his most successful. The 6-foot-7, 230-pounder has reportedly signed with Incarnate Word, according to On3's Pete Nakos. It will be the closing act for the wildest career we've ever seen in college football.

NEWS: Transfer QB TJ Finley has signed with Incarnate Word, @PeteNakos reports.

Finley has made stops at LSU, Auburn, Texas State, Tulane, WKU and GA State.https://t.co/U31NaOwnr0 pic.twitter.com/UYbtY8Go6t
— On3 (@On3) January 14, 2026

As I noted earlier, Finley started his career in Baton Rouge at LSU. He then transferred to Auburn, where he spent two seasons with the Tigers. He saw action in 13 games, finishing with 1,258 passing yards, seven touchdowns, and five interceptions.

After his two seasons at Auburn, he spent one season at Texas State, where he had the best season of his career under former UIW head coach GJ Kinne. Finley had a career-high 3,439 passing yards and 24 touchdowns, leading the Bobcats to an 8-5 record with a bowl win.

As a junior, he transferred to Western Kentucky, only seeing action in three games for the Hilltoppers. In his most recent move, he signed with Georgia State, playing in seven games, where he posted six touchdowns and seven interceptions.

Finley also spent a few months at Tulane during the offseason, but was suspended after being arrested. He later entered the transfer portal and signed with Georgia State for the 2025 season.

It was a tough season for Incarnate Word in 2025. After entering the year as a preseason Top 5 team, the Cardinals finished 5-7 overall and 3-5 in conference play.

Texas State Bobcats quarterback TJ Finley (7) throws a pass against the Rice Owls | Tim Heitman-Imagn Images

UIW needed a new starting quarterback in 2026 after losing EJ Colson to the transfer portal. Colson had a breakout freshman campaign with 2,142 passing yards, 287 rushing yards, and 19 total touchdowns. He signed with UTEP on Jan. 16.

It remains to be seen if Finley can find the same success he did at Texas State in 2023 in a similar offensive system.

Until last season, UIW has had a strong history of successful quarterback play, which started with Cam Ward in the spring 2021 season. That continued with Lindsey Scott and Zach Calzada over the next two years.

Finley will make his FCS football debut against North Dakota State on Aug. 29.

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