Finley preparing to make first start as Auburn quarterback

T.J. Finley has not inherited an enviable position.

Finley has taken the starting quarterback reins from Bo Nix, who suffered a broken ankle in last week’s game against Mississippi State.

The 19-year-old Finley will now have to right the year for the Tigers in arguably Auburn’s three most important games of the season. 

Auburn will have to beat South Carolina in Columbia, beat No. 2 Alabama in the Iron Bowl and win against whomever its opponent may be in the team’s bowl game to salvage the tail end of this season. 

The Tigers are unranked after dropping two straight, including a historical collapse against Mississippi State a week ago.

But Finley has taken it in stride. He prepared for this. 

"I have been preparing to be the starter since Week 1. I take a lot of mental reps,” Finley said.

Finley has faith in himself, faith in God and the well-wishes of Auburn legend Cam Newton. T.J.’s time has officially begun. 

"It is always bad news when the starter goes down. The backup guys have to be prepared to play,” Finley said. “I have been preparing like a starter since day one since I got here."

Finley did not start his career at Auburn, but at LSU in his home state of Louisiana. Finley went 2-3 as a starter for the Bayou Bengals last year. His first career victory was against none other than Auburn’s next opponent: the Gamecocks. 

“Me and my family talked about that Monday morning,” Finley said. “It's just a blessing. I don't believe in coincidences; I believe God has a plan for everything"

When Finley decided to transfer from LSU, he heard from many players and coaches all over the country. Finley said his conversations with current Auburn running back Tank Bigsby helped influence his choice to come to The Plains. 

Though Finley arrived at Auburn as the backup and has been the backup to Nix all season, he already had his “Auburn Moment” in Week 2. 

After that game, Finley got a call from an unknown Atlanta number. It was none other than Cam Newton. 

Since that post-game conversation, Newton and Finley have kept in touch. The two previously met each other when Finley was in high school, where he said he was already taller than the 6-5 former NFL MVP.

Last week, before Newton was resigned to the Carolina Panthers, he called Finley. 

“Right before he got signed...he called me and we went through a devotional together. It was a lot of stuff talked about,” Finley said. "The things we talked about came to fruition. I've looked up to him since I was a little kid."

Finley, who wears one number lower than Newton’s famous No. 2, said he has earned the trust and faith of his team throughout the season, especially after Week 2. Now that he is the signal-caller, center Nick Brahms expects Finley to perform 

“T.J. has a great arm. He can throw it,” Brahms said. “Leading that touchdown drive against Georgia State was big. It gives him confidence."

The young signal-caller, who is known for his drop-back passing attack, will be tasked with building off of Auburn’s excellent passing game against the Bulldogs, where Auburn had two 100-yard receivers and Nix had a career-high 377 passing yards. 

“Our whole receiver room is special,” Finley said. “They are only going to get better from here. It gives me a lot of confidence knowing they can get the job done. It is going to take a team effort for our passing attack to be great in this game. As long as we keep putting the work in this week and winning our one-on-ones, we will be fine."

Saturday will be the first time in over 1,000 days that Nix will not be the signal-caller for Auburn. 

All of Finley’s “mental reps” he said he has been taking while as Nix’s backup will become real ones. Finley plans on taking the field and not trying to do anything special now that the ball is finally in his hands.

“The things that I focused on this year is just consistency,” Finley said. “I don't have to do anything special, I just have to go out there and do my job and it will take care of itself."

As for if the team trusts him with that ball in his hands as Auburn’s QB1, Finley has no doubt.

"I have a lot of support. I have been doing my best to be a leader since I got here. When people see you doing the right thing, they want to follow you,” Finley said. 

Whatever happens for the rest of the season, Finley is confident that all the prep and all the work of his career has prepared him for this exact moment. 

"I know for a fact that me preparing to be a starter each week is only getting me better,” Finley said. “It is only allowing my guys to see the best of me on and off of the field.”