Heading into the 2025 season, Georgia State seemed to have its roster set to go with redshirt senior Christian Veilleux in line to take the helm just like he a season ago.
Veilleux started eight games for Georgia State in 2024, including the upset of Vanderbilt, throwing for over 2,000 passing yards and 13 touchdowns.
However, plans for the quarterback room changed suddenly on September 1st, 2025, when news broke that graduate quarterback and journeyman TJ Finley was transferring in from Tulane.
BREAKING: Former LSU, Auburn, Texas State, WKU and Tulane QB TJ Finley has enrolled at Georgia State.
Finley has thrown for 6,128 yards, 37 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in his career. https://t.co/pSEf5kbzUm pic.twitter.com/EF5aFoWQ8k
— Transfer Portal (@TransferPortal_) September 1, 2025
Now just days before opening kickoff, Georgia State added a quarterback who is no stranger to the big moment. From starting as a true freshman in the SEC to getting a win in his first ever postseason appearance, the story of TJ Finley continues to be one of college football’s unique tales.
The Beginning (2019-2021):
In 2019, TJ Finley was a three-star quarterback who just finished his senior season for the Ponchatoula Green Wave in Ponchatoula, Louisianna. That season, he led the varsity team to a 5-2 district record but was defeated in the first round of the 2019 Allstate Sugar Bowl/LHSAA Non-Select Prep Classic in the class 5A bracket by championship runner-up Destrehan. However, Finley put on a dazzling performance with a four-touchdown game (two rushing and two passing) in what would be his final career high school game.
When the time came to move up to the next level, TJ Finley would only have to travel just an hour outside of his hometown to Baton Rouge and stay true to his 2018 commitment to the Louisianna State University Tigers. Finley wasn’t expected to see the field much as a true freshman in 2020, but a season ending injury to starting quarterback Myles Brennan thrusted him into the starting role.
Finley shined, going 17-for-21 with 265 passing yards and 2 touchdowns against conference rival South Carolina. He would also put his legs on display with 8 rushes for 24 yards and a touchdown, making his collegiate debut a three-touchdown affair. TJ Finley had social media buzzing as well from his electric performance.
What a call and what a throw on third down in the red zone
Marshall wheels from the slot
Wide open in the corner
Finley throws a strike
Another Terrace Marshall TD
And TJ Finley is acing his first test
— Cody Worsham (@CodyWorsham) October 24, 2020
But everything came back to reality the next week against Auburn where he would struggle mightily against the Tigers. Finley threw two interceptions and was now splitting in-game reps with Max Johnson. Finley would start one more full game for LSU before having to share the starting role due to inconsistent performance. He went on to finish his freshman season with five passing touchdowns, five interceptions, and 941 passing yards.
After battling for the starting job in training camp, Finley entered the transfer portal on May 6th, 2021, and began his search for a new home.
Auburn (2021-2023):
Despite receiving offers from Penn State and Houston, the quarterback opted to stay in the SEC, transferring to Auburn University on May 24th, 2021.
TJ wouldn’t see the field much his first season at Auburn until later in the season where he replaced a benched Bo Nix and lead a comeback win against Georgia State. A few games later, Finley became the starter for the rest of the year after Bo Nix suffered a broken ankle.
Finley performed well against a tough SEC schedule but failed to record a win the last three games of the season to South Carolina, Alabama (2OT) and Houston, losing by one score in each game. He finished his 2021 campaign with six touchdowns, one interception and 827 passing yards.
At the conclusion of the 2021 season, Auburn’s starting quarterback Bo Nix announced he was transferring to Oregon and put TJ Finley in the driver’s seat to be the starter for the Tigers in the 2022 season. This became a reality when only days before their season opener against Mercer, Finley was announced as the starting quarterback heading into the season for the first time in his career.
Unfortunately, Finley struggled in the first two games of the season against Mercer and San Jose State going a combine 22-for-34 with only one touchdown pass to three interceptions. In the third game of the season against Penn State, Finley was benched for redshirt freshman Robby Ashford in the 3rd quarter after giving up a fumble on a sack. Finley saw the field one more time for the Tigers the next game against Ole Miss where he fumbled on his first drive, contributing to the team benching him for the rest of the year.
On May 2nd, 2023, Finley would enter the transfer portal after two seasons with Auburn and was in search of a new program for the second time in his college career.
Texas State (2023-2024)
TJ Finley would land at Texas State University on May 12th, 2023. The former SEC quarterback learned Texas State’s playbook quickly and earned the starting role to start the season for the second time in his career.
His first game with the Bobcats was a massive one, underdogs against Baylor to in their first game of the season. TJ Finley didn’t waiver however, pulling off the upset and giving Texas State their first ever win against a Power Five team. He went 22-for-30 with 298 passing yards and three touchdowns through the air; Finley also notched a rushing touchdown for the first time in almost a year.
Impressive performance by former LSU and Auburn QB TJ Finley in leading Texas State, a 27 1/2-point underdog, to an upset win at Baylor, throwing for three TDs and almost 300 yards. GJ Kinne already doing big things for the Bobcats.
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) September 3, 2023
Finley would go on to lead the Bobcats to an 8-5 record for the year and earned them a spot in Servpro First Responders Bowl against the Rice Owls. Despite going 15-for-29 with only 152 passing yards and zero touchdowns, Texas state capped off their season with a 45-21 in the program’s first ever bowl game appearance.
TJ Finley started every game for Texas State and for the first time in his career, he also has his most productive season by far with the Bobcats. He went 279-for-414 with 3,439 passing yards and 24 passing touchdowns with 8 interceptions, also adding five rushing touchdowns.
Coming off the best season of his career, it seemed San Marcos was going to be the place he would stick around. But due to the transferring in of Jayden de Laura, Finley ultimately decided to transfer out of Texas State on January 16th, 2024.
Western Kentucky (2024)
Another fresh start came for TJ Finley on January 22nd, 2024, when he committed to Western Kentucky as a graduate transfer, making the Hilltoppers his fourth school overall.
Finley was named the starting quarterback against Alabama in Western Kentucky’s season opener where he struggled to find the poise he had a season ago, losing 63-0 and for only 93 passing yards with two interceptions. The next week against EKU, he bounced back by going 27-for-39 with 351 passing yards and one touchdown.
Tragedy struck Finley in the third game of the season against MTSU, an ankle injury forced him out of the game and into a walking boot for multiple weeks. When he returned to action however, he lost the starting job to back-up quarterback Caden Veltkamp. Finley wouldn’t play another down for the Hilltoppers that season. His name would end up back in the transfer portal on December 7th,2024.
Tulane and Georgia State (2024-Present)
Finley landed with Tulane on December 16th, 2024, and joined one of the top Group of Five schools in the nation. Finley would have to once again compete for the starting job at another university.
Finley was suspended from the program on April 2nd, 2025, following an arrest for illegal possession of stolen items but more specifically a truck worth over $25,000. Finley and his legal team insist that he is the victim of a scam, claiming he bought the truck from a social media marketplace. Following the suspension, Finley would enter the transfer portal on April 25th, 2025, and search for his sixth school.
Shortly before the start of the 2025 season, TJ Finley landed with the Georgia State Panthers on August 27th, 2025. Finley returning to the Sun Belt for the second time and on the heels of his career year with Texas State in 2023.
Now in his fourth week with the team, Finley is still trying to find a rhythm in the Georgia State offense and put a cherry on top of his unique college career.
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