Lane Kiffin is not the final boss of the transfer portal. Nor is it Curt Cignetti, who turned Indiana from cannon fodder to possibly one of the most dominant teams in college football history. There is only one true final boss of the transfer portal, and his name is TJ Finley.
If you are a newer college football fan or don’t have the best memory, it is easy not to recognize that name right off the bat. Do I mean Steve Finley, the former San Francisco Giants baseball player? Or did I mean Michael Finley? You know, the Dallas Mavericks basketball player?
Finley will play for the FCS school Incarnate Word in the 2026 season, as he will turn 24 during spring practice. How did we get here?
Well, it started all the way back in 2018 when Finley was one of the premier quarterback prospects in the high school circuit and signed with the LSU Tigers in 2019. This was when Joe Burrow, Justin Jefferson, and Ja’Marr Chase were all in school, blowing out every team by 50 points.
In 2020, Finley was named a starter but lost the job to Max Johnson midway through the season. He then jumped into the transfer portal for the first time that offseason, transferring to SEC rival Auburn.
At Auburn, he was the backup to Bo Nix — yes, Denver Broncos starting QB Bo Nix — in 2021, then became the starter in 2022 before suffering a severe injury that ended his career as a Tiger.
Then came 2023 and his year with Texas State. There, Finley threw for a program record 24 touchdowns and skyrocketed his stock again with 3,439 yards through the air.
In 2024, Western Kentucky became his new home after entering the transfer portal once more. Like at Auburn, this stint was cut short due to injury when he hurt his leg in the third week of the season, requiring surgery.
After recouping, Finley decided to jump back into the transfer portal. This most recent season, he transferred to Tulane, which would have been his best chance to prove himself in years under the now-Florida coach Jon Sumrall. Unfortunately, he was effectively kicked off the team after being found in possession of a stolen car.
Finley did a U-turn and jumped right back into the safety of the transfer portal, where he landed at Georgia State and then started six games. He ended the season with a disappointing six touchdowns to seven interceptions.
And now, finally, he is part of the Incarnate Word Cardinal football team as their quarterback — a journey across the country and six trips through the transfer portal. Not confusing at all.
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– Oregon Loses QB Amid Dylan Raiola Transfer Portal Buzz
– LSU’s Lane Kiffin Makes Last-Minute Trip for Top-Rated Transfer Portal QB
https://www.newsweek.com/sports/ncaa/polarizing-transfer-portal-qb-tj-finley-signs-with-seventh-college-program-11355639