Auburn Finally Picks Its Starting Quarterback

Auburn coach Bryan Harsin made his decision. T.J. Finley has won the starting quarterback job at Auburn.

The decision was first reported by ESPN’s Chris Low.

Finley finished the 2021 season as the Tigers starter. Now a junior, Finley will lead Auburn into the opener against Mercer.

Coming off a tough first season at the helm, Harsin added Texas A&M quarterback Zach Calzada from the transfer portal. Many around the program believed Calzada would be the guy this season. But the transfer did not meet expectations during fall camp, still dealing with a shoulder issue over the summer. The former Aggies quarterback was practicing with the third team as of late and T.J. Finley never relinquished his spot.

This is a very important year for Harsin and the Tigers, especially with athletic director Allen Greene resigning this past week.

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After an offseason filled with controversy surrounding Harsin, Auburn making a lower-tier bowl game in 2022 won’t save his job. If Harsin is hoping to return after this season, the team will need to show drastic improvements, which will depend on the offense and production of Finley.

During the 2021 season, Finley was 70-for-128 passing for 827 yards and six touchdowns.

After playing Mercer and San Jose State, the Tigers will host Penn State on Sept. 17. That will be the first test for this Auburn team.

Now that the quarterback situation has been answered, we’ll see how Harsin keeps his backups ready for action. I think it’s safe to say that Finley won’t be the only quarterback playing for Auburn this season.