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After guiding Texas State to an eight-win season and a victory in the First Responder Bowl, Bobcats quarterback T.J. Finley announced on X that he will return for another season in San Marcos. The fourth-year quarterback had a breakout season in 2023 during his first season with Texas State after starting his career with LSU and then spending two seasons in Auburn.

Finley started all 13 games for G.J. Kinne’s club, throwing for 3,439 yards and 24 touchdowns against eight interceptions on 67.4% completions. He also had 81 rushing yards and five touchdowns on the ground, with the passing mark establishing a new Texas State program record for passing yards in a season.

The 6-foot-7-inch, 252-pounder was a three-star recruit in the class of 2020, joining the Tigers that spring and appeared in five games as a true freshman before transferring to Auburn, where he appeared in 13 contests over two seasons.

2023 was the first season where Finley was a full-time starter, earning him Sun Belt Conference Honorable Mention honors after the season. Finley was ranked by Pro Football Focus as the third-best quarterback in the SBC and had several highly-graded outings including his best game of the season against a Power Five opponent in Baylor. His decision to return gives the Bobcats a major piece entering 2024 as they look to repeat last season’s success.