Courtesy of WKU Athletics
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – WKU Football quarterback TJ Finley has been named a 2024 Golden Arm Award candidate, the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Educational Foundation, Inc., and A.O. Smith Corporation announced this week.
This year, the watch list includes 63 of the nation’s leading quarterbacks representing all FBS conferences and independents. The award annually recognizes the top senior or upperclassman quarterback set to graduate with their class. Finley is one of three quarterbacks from Conference USA on the list.
Finley is entering his first season at WKU after stops at Texas State, Auburn and LSU. He spent last season with the Bobcats and received All-Sun Belt Honorable Mention, Phil Steele All-Sun Belt Fourth Team, Manning Award Watch List and Davey O’Brien Award Midseason Watch List recognitions. He was named Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Week after leading Texas State to a victory at Baylor in Week 1, he was a two-time Manning Award Star of the Week and a Davey O’Brien Great 8 selection during the 2023 season as well.
He finished the 2023 season throwing for 3,439 yards and 24 touchdowns to just eight interceptions on 279-of-414 passing while starting all 13 games. He also rushed for 81 yards and five touchdowns. Finley set the Texas State program record for passing yards in a season, finished 17th in the country in passing yards, ranked 23rd in the nation in passing yards per game and passing touchdowns, ranked 16th in the country in completion percentage and was 23rd in passing efficiency. He helped the Bobcats have the 15th-best offense in the country (457.6 yards per game) and the 28th-best passing offense (270.9 yards per game). He led Texas State to its first-ever win over a Power Five team with the victory against Baylor and to the program’s first bowl win with a 45-21 win over Rice in the First Responder Bowl.
Over his three seasons with LSU (2020) and Auburn (2021-22), he started 11 games and appeared in 18. He threw for 2,199 yards and 12 touchdowns to 10 interceptions on 183-of-321 passing and also recorded a pair of rushing touchdowns. He started three games as a sophomore at Auburn in 2022 and appeared in four games, but missed several due to injury. He played in nine games with three starts as a freshman in 2021. In his first college season at LSU in 2020, he started five games and led the Tigers to victories over South Carolina and Arkansas.
Finley has already been included on the Shrine Bowl 1000 Watchlist, the watch list for the Maxwell Award, the Walter Camp 2024 Player of the Year Preseason Watch List and the 2024 Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award Preseason Watch List this summer.
The preseason watch list, semifinalists, finalists and award recipient are selected by the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Selection Committee – a group of prominent college football journalists, commentators, announcers and former players.
This year’s award winner will be presented the Golden Arm Award trophy at the Johnny Unitas Golden Award celebration at the Four Seasons Hotel in Baltimore, Maryland, on Friday, Dec. 6.
The award is named after Johnny Unitas, an 18-year veteran of the NFL who played his collegiate career at the University of Louisville before joining the Baltimore Colts in 1958. His career passing figures include 2,830 pass completions for 40,239 yards and 290 touchdowns. He threw a touchdown pass in 47 consecutive games.
WKU is scheduled to kick off the 2024 season with a 6 p.m. CT game at Alabama on Saturday, Aug. 31. The Hilltoppers will host Eastern Kentucky for their home opener on Saturday, Sept. 7, at 6 p.m. CT, and will open CUSA play the following week with a 6 p.m. CT game at Middle Tennessee on Saturday, Sept. 14.
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