Seven schools in seven years: How is former SEC QB TJ Finley, now at Incarnate Word, still eligible?

Former SEC quarterback TJ Finley is the latest example of how the transfer portal and eligibility waivers have redefined what is possible in college football. It was six years ago that Finley joined LSU as a promising recruit. This week, he signed with Incarnate Word and will spend the 2026 campaign at the FCS level, marking his seventh school in seven seasons.

Finley started five games at LSU in 2020, showing flashes of promise as a true freshman with 941 yards and five touchdowns in that pandemic-impacted season. It was a short stay at LSU, though, as he bounced for Auburn at the end of his lone year in Baton Rouge.

Auburn took a shot on Finley through the transfer portal, and he took advantage of another SEC opportunity when he earned significant playing time in relief of an injured Bo Nix in 2021. He started down the stretch for the Tigers and ended his first year in the program with 827 yards and six touchdowns in nine total appearances. 

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That was enough to earn him the full-time starting job heading into the 2022 season, but things did not go according to plan. Finley was supposed to finally break through with the biggest role of his career but instead threw four interceptions in four games before suffering a season-ending injury. He never played another snap in the SEC.

Finley landed at Texas State in 2023 and turned in the best year of his career. He played all 13 games for the first time and was one of the best players in the Sun Belt with 3,439 yards and 24 touchdowns in addition to a career-best five rushing scores. It was just a one-year stint with the Bobcats but a fruitful one nonetheless.

Established as a solid Group of Five starter, Finley hit the portal again and transferred to Western Kentucky in 2024 and Georgia State in 2025. Between those stops was a four-month stay at Tulane, where he went through the team's winter program but was suspended following an arrest and departed in the spring transfer window. He is now set to move down another level and play for Incarnate Word, which has produced a number of FBS standouts in recent years, including eventual No. 1 NFL Draft pick Cam Ward.

How is TJ Finley eligible for the 2026 season?

The novelty of a quarterback playing for seven different schools in seven years is eye-catching. How that is even possible is also a sign of the times in college football, where players have more power than ever before. Finley's extreme case is the product of the NCAA's waiver process and redshirt rules, which have been points of contention for years.

The 2020 season at LSU did not count toward Finley's eligibility clock because the NCAA granted a one-year extension to all players during the COVID-19 pandemic. Finley also received medical hardship waivers to write off the 2022 and 2024 seasons, during which he sustained season-ending injuries after four games and three games, respectively.

Three waivers granted Finley three additional years. Add those seasons to his four-year eligibility clock, and the result is a seven-year career -- one that will presumably conclude at Incarnate Word.