The Auburn Tigers will begin their 2022 season with TJ Finley as their starting quarterback when they face off with the Mercer Bears at home this coming Saturday. Auburn football head coach Bryan Harsin, in a recent appearance on McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning, was pretty detailed when he extolled the qualities he saw in TJ Finley that led to him picking the former LSU Tigers transfer as the team's starter over Zach Calzada, Robby Ashford (h/t Brad Crawford of 247 Sports).

“I think it goes back to January when we began putting together our offseason plan and preparing for spring ball and through the summer, he’s done a great job and has a really good understanding of what we’re trying to do offensively,” Harsin said this week on McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning. “He’s able to operate from the sideline to the huddle, on the field and whatever it is we’re doing. Fundamentally, he’s gotten better as a thrower and as a decision-maker. That's the one thing, from last year to this year amazingly enough, people get better and Auburn quarterbacks improve and get better. He’s a guy that’s done that. He’s taken this offseason and worked very hard on trying to be a better player, have a better understanding, improve his mechanics That showed up this summer, through fall camp and ultimately that’s why he’s the starting quarterback.”

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On top of the qualities mentioned by Harsin is the fact that TJ Finley has the edge in terms of familiarity with Auburn. Calzada and Ashford are both offseason transfers from the Texas A&M Aggies and the Oregon Ducks, respectively. Calzada was seen as the biggest threat to Finley's QB1 dreams, but his offseason surgery in his non-throwing shoulder appeared to have held back his chances of impressing Auburn enough in the offseason.

TJ Finley served as the main backup of Bo Nix, who transferred to Oregon last December, during the 2021 college football season. That season, Finley passed for 827 yards and six touchdowns against an interception on 54.7 completion percentage.