Analyst wonders if Auburn football needs to return to 2022 fall camp QB1

JD PicKell of On3 Sports isn’t sold on TJ Finley, so it works with Auburn football in what would be his third season on the Plains and fourth season overall in 2023 — even questioning whether either side needs to revisit the arrangement under a new coaching staff.

Finley was the starting quarterback coming out of fall camp in 2022, though Bryan Harsin never fully committed to him — offering snaps to Robby Ashford in a position battle that stretched into Week 3 last season. After Finley’s father criticized the coaching staff and Ashford led the offense under center in a game that was more Missouri loss than AU win, the six-foot-seven Tigers’ career ended indefinitely.

PicKell believes the temporary status will become permanent after spring camp, when he believes Finley will hone his skills before graduating and transitioning to a graduate student with immediate eligibility (h/t Auburn Daily’s Zac Blackerby):

“TJ Finley has shown you who he is at Auburn, he’s shown you what he can do at Auburn. I don’t know that we should go back to this again. It sounds a little harsh, or probably is a little harsh. I’m not here to admire TJ Finley, but if we’re talking about success in 2023? I think you’ll see him move away after the spring.”

“That’s just how I feel about it. I’d like to be wrong. I’m rooting for TJ Finley. I think he’s gotten a lot of criticism that’s not warranted. But still, that production is not a small sample size for me. It’s a reasonably large sample size at Auburn. I think Robby Ashford is the one you look to as the QB1 going forward through the spring. If TJ Finley can push him? Great. But the feeling in Auburn is that TJ Finley will eventually jump into the portal after the spring.

TJ Finley better leave Auburn football

Hugh Freeze has been particularly harsh on the quarterback room in his evaluation of the Auburn football team, and it’s possible that Finley was the primary target of his criticism. Freeze feels the room isn’t there mentally yet, and he’s also made clear his disdain for off-field incidents. Finley famously had a motorized scooter run-in with police last year and has thrown just two less interceptions than touchdowns in his three-year career at LSU and Auburn.

At this point, the majority want Ashford, with others interested in what Holden Geriner and Hank Brown have to show. We know what Finley has to show for it: a big arm but a questionable fit in the orange and blue.

There is no doubt that a player with Finley’s skill set could be successful. He might be better off trying it elsewhere.