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At the start of the Penn State spring football schedule, head coach James Franklin was asked if he will be looking to add a quarterback from the transfer portal following the loss of two scholarship quarterbacks through the transfer portal this offseason. In his response, Franklin made one thing perfectly clear. Penn State won’t be adding a quarterback just for the sake of adding a quarterback. any potential addition must be seen as a good fit for the offense, Franklin noted.
So, did that right fit just land in the transfer portal?
On Thursday, LSU quarterback TJ Finley added his name to the NCAA transfer portal’s database, making him eligible to explore his potential transfer options. Finlet just might be able to check off enough boxes to make Penn State a potential suitor. At the very least, Franklin and offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich should probably at least take a flyer on the LSU quarterback.
Finley may be a bit of a project in need of some refining and coaching, but that’s exactly what Yurcich was hired for. Finley would not be a threat to Sean Clifford as a starting quarterback in 2021, but he would address some of the primary concerns Franklin has stressed about his backup options, which has been a lack of experience.
Finley passed for 941 yards and five touchdowns while appearing in five games last season. LSU’s quarterback situation changed dramatically with the early loss of starter Myles Brennan. Finley started a few games for the Tigers and had some ups and downs. In his first game in relief of the injured Brennan, Finley passed for 265 yards and two touchdowns against South Carolina. But his next game against Auburn was a rough one, completing just 13 of 24 pass attempts with two interceptions. Finley was not able to take advantage of the opportunity as LSU’s starter, although it should not have been all on him.
Despite some tough moments as LSU’s quarterback, he possesses one thing neither Taquan Roberson or Christian Veilleux can offer Penn State right now, and that is on-the-field game experience. And he gained that experience in the SEC against the likes of Alabama, Texas A&M, and Auburn (Penn State faces Auburn this season, by the way). Franklin has not nice words about the concerns he has about the lack of reps and experiences his two backups currently own. Finley would eliminate that concern.
Finley is also more of a pro-style quarterback who has drawn some comparisons to former Florida quarterback Feleipe Franks. A pro-style passer may be exactly what Mike Yurcich wants to ideally run the offense, an idea punctuated by the commitment of four-star pro-style quarterback Drew Allar in the Class of 2022. Allar committed to Penn State following the hiring of Yurcich. If the offense is about to transform with a pro-style quarterback, it may be wise to have one ready to step in if needed this season.
Penn State was not in on the recruiting process for Finley as he was coming out of high school, but the Louisiana native was going to be immensely difficult to pry out of the state as long as LSU was interested. But now LSU is off the table. Could Finley head north? If so, Penn State could be an interesting option.
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