One of Auburn's potential starting quarterbacks has found himself in some legal trouble as the Tigers' preseason camp gets underway. T.J. Finley, a junior who started the final three games of the 2021 season, was arrested Thursday and charged with attempting to elude police.
The source of Finley's arrest comes from an earlier traffic violation in which he was cited for not wearing a helmet while operating a moped, a Class A misdemeanor, according to AL.com. Finley turned himself into Auburn police after learning that a warrant had been issued for his arrest. He was booked at the Lee County detention center, but has since been released after making bond.
The school is aware of Finley's arrest, and coach Bryan Harsin told reporters on Thursday afternoon that he is aware of the incident and that Finley will be at practice when Auburn opens fall camp on Friday.
Finley completed 70 of 128 passes (54.7%) for 827 yards, six touchdowns and one interception as a sophomore. That included 97 yards passing and a touchdown in a comeback win over Georgia State, along with a 137-yard, two-touchdown performance in the quadruple-overtime loss to Alabama to wrap up a 6-6 regular season. He transferred to Auburn from LSU prior to the 2021 season. He started five games at LSU, threw for 941 yards, tossed five touchdowns and was picked off five times.
The 6-foot-7, 250-pounder from Ponchatoula, Louisiana, is locked in a three-way quarterback battle with ex-Texas A&M starter Zach Calzada and ex-Oregon backup Robby Ashford. Harsin told CBS Sports last month that he isn't opposed to playing two quarterbacks this year.