Tulane will conclude the remainder of its college football spring practice period without TJ Finley. The 23-year-old quarterback is suspended indefinitely after an arrest on Wednesday afternoon.
He faces charges connected to an alleged stolen car.
Finley, a former three-star prospect in the college football recruiting Class of 2020, started his career in the same year as guys like C.J. Stroud, Anthony Richardson and Bryce Young. The 6-foot-7, 255-pound signal-caller made history during the offseason by entering the transfer portal for the fourth time in six years. This was/is going to be his final year of eligibility.
A breakdown of his career is as follows:
- LSU, 2020:
- Two wins, three losses
- 80 completions
- 941 yards
- Five touchdowns
- Five interceptions
- Auburn, 2021:
- Zero wins, three losses
- 70 completions
- 827 yards
- Six touchdowns
- One interception
- Auburn, 2022:
- Two wins, one loss
- 33 completions
- 431 yards
- One touchdown
- Four interceptions
- Texas State, 2023:
- Eight wins, five losses
- 279 completions
- 3,439 yards
- 24 touchdowns
- Eight interceptions
- Western Kentucky, 2024:
- Two wins, one loss
- 48 completions
- 491 yards
- One touchdown
- Two interceptions
Finley decided to transfer to Tulane for 2025. He was slated to compete with Kadin Semonza and Donovan Leary for the starting job over the next few months. His status is now up in the air.
TJ Finley was arrested by campus police on Wednesday in the 6300 block of South Claiborne Avenue in possession of stolen things, according to the New Orleans Police Department. The items are worth over $25,000. It appears to be in connection to an alleged stolen vehicle. Court documents say that he told authorities he had just bought the car from Atlanta.
This is not the first time that Finley was arrested. He was also taken into custody at Auburn in 2022 following an alleged police chase on motorcycle.
The Green Wave issued the following statement on the current matter:
We are aware of a situation involving TJ Finley. He has been suspended from the football program pending the outcome of the case. Due to federal laws governing student privacy, we will not disclose any additional information regarding the student, including information related to disciplinary proceedings.
— Tulane University
It is unclear how long TJ Finley will be out. However, an extended leave of absence could result in him losing any opportunity to serve as QB1 in his final year of college football. An ouster could end his career all together. An initial court hearing will take place on June 1.