This season, College Football is going to have transfer quarterbacks starting (and not starting) left and right. Some of the College Football Playoff’s contenders, like Ohio State and Oregon, will be led by treasures found via the Transfer Portal.
Baylor is no different. While they aren’t currently projected to contend for the Big 12 or the CFP as a whole, they’ll be led by a transfer quarterback. This time, it’s DeQuan Finn, one of the most dynamic playmakers from the Mid-American Conference over the last few years.
Baylor is expected to name Toledo transfer Dequan Finn as its starting quarterback, sources tell @247Sports/@CBSSports.
Finn was the MAC MVP at Toledo last year. Has accounted for career totals of 7,074 passing yards, 1,840 rushing yards and 88 touchdowns.… pic.twitter.com/XdVwzEWPVz
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) August 19, 2024
DeQuan Finn Wins Baylor Starting Job
Fans of Toledo and #MACtion as a whole are not the least bit surprised by this move. Finn was an offensive weapon for the Rockets over the last three seasons and had his pick of the litter when it came to transferring to Power 4 programs and he chose Baylor.
With Toledo, Finn was dynamic. He was the MAC MVP in 2023 and earned First-Team All-MAC honors as well. The season prior, when he led the Rockets to a MAC Championship, he was a Second-Team All-MAC selection.
Finn broke out as a third-year freshman (redshirt and COVID) as he led the Rockets to a 7-6 mark with 2,071 yards and 18 touchdowns through the air with just two interceptions. On the ground, he added 505 yards and nine touchdowns. Given, his starting running back was Bryant Koback and he went off for 1,400 yards and 15 scores.
In 2022, Finn was a leader on the field while battling injuries. In 12 games, he threw for 2,269 yards and 23 touchdowns. On the ground, he was the second-leading rusher again with 632 yards and nine touchdowns. The Rockets were the only FBS team to have four players with at least 100 rushes.
He took yet another step forward last year as the conference MVP. Finn amassed 2,657 yards and 22 touchdowns. On the ground, he was actually the third-leading rusher with 563 yards and seven touchdowns.
A Toledo Great
While Toledo fans would have preferred he stay home, Finn leaves as one of the greatest Rockets in the storied history of the program. He finished his career toward the top of the career leader boards:
- 7,083 passing yards (fifth-most)
- 63 passing touchdowns (tied for third-most)
- 1,841 rushing yards (most from a quarterback, 10th overall)
- 25 rushing touchdowns (most from a quarterback, fifth overall)
- 60.3 completion percentage (fourth-best among quarterbacks with 500 passing attempts)
- 144.7 quarterback rating (third-best)
The Baylor Offense
DeQuan Finn takes over a Baylor offense that struggled last year. Head Coach Dave Aranda hasn’t quite gotten back to 2021 Big 12 Champions form but the Bears have high hopes for Finn and his playmaking abilities.
Baylor managed just 23.1 points per game last year of 377.8 yards of offense. Those marks ranked 101st and 73rd in FBS, respectively. The passing offense with Blake Shapen was 37th in the nation with 263 yards per game but the rushing attack was hapless, ranking 111th.
However, Finn comes into an offense that returns eight of the team’s top 10 receivers from a year ago. Plus, they added Ashtyn Hawkins (141 catches, 1,745 yards, 11 touchdowns in three years at Texas State) and Jamall Bell (77 catches, 697 yards, three touchdowns; 80 kick returns for a 21.4-yard average).
All three leading rushers return in 2024 as well, though Finn will likely eat into their production with his own legs. Remember, Finn has a pair of 100-yard rushing days including a career-best 172 yards against UMass a year ago.
Ok fine, Dequan Finn highlights.
(Baylor_clips YT) https://t.co/XtMGjqv38x pic.twitter.com/qjY540NGQx
— Locked On Baylor Bears (@lockedonbaylor) August 19, 2024
2024 Outlook
Baylor has a decently easy schedule in 2024. Based on the preseason AP Poll, Baylor faces three ranked teams: at Utah, vs Oklahoma State, vs Kansas. Due to scheduling tomfoolery, that Utah game isn’t even counted as a Big 12 game.
Past that, they face Tarleton State (FCS), Air Force, BYU, and TCU at home while traveling to Colorado, Iowa State, Texas Tech, West Virginia, and Houston.
Will the addition of Finn turn Baylor into a legitimate CFP contender? It’s not likely. Baylor’s defense was weak last year and didn’t add many transfers to help. However, he should be able to push the Bears to bowl eligibility.
Keep an eye on number 12. He’s going to show the Big 12 what the MAC already knew: DeQuan Finn is special.
