On Monday, head coach Dave Aranda named Toledo transfer Dequan Finn (6Sr.) as Baylor’s starting quarterback for the season opener against Tarleton on Aug. 31 at McLane Stadium.
Before Finn made his way to Waco in December, the Bears saw a myriad of changes on the offensive side of the ball at the conclusion of the 2023 season, including the departure of Baylor’s starting quarterback from the last two seasons, Blake Shapen, to the transfer portal, the firing of offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes and a re-working of BU’s core NIL principles.
Aranda and newly hired offensive coordinator Jake Spavital made it a priority for Baylor to land a big-time signal caller in the transfer portal and wanted to ensure that the next starting quarterback could thrive in the spread offense both through the air and on the ground with elite scrambling ability, a luxury the Bears hadn’t been able to take advantage of in recent years.
When Finn committed to Baylor on Dec. 17, he was listed as the third-best veteran quarterback in the transfer portal, according to The Athletic. He was a highly coveted prospect who ultimately chose the Bears over several Power Four schools, such as Wisconsin and Washington.
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When Toledo transfer Dequan Finn (6Sr.) committed to Baylor on Dec. 17, he was listed as the third-best veteran quarterback in the transfer portal.
Finn had an illustrious career at Toledo, where he totaled over 7,000 passing yards, 1,700 yards on the ground and 88 touchdowns. Coming out of King High School in Detroit, Finn was a three-star prospect and was named Mr. Football in Michigan after leading his team to a state championship in 2018.
Upon arrival at Toledo, Finn redshirted in 2019 and saw minimal playing time on the field during the shortened 2020 season. Finn took over as the Rockets' starting quarterback halfway through the 2021 season. Across the final eight games, Toledo went 5-3 and finished the year with a close loss to Middle Tennessee State in the Bahamas Bowl.
In 2022, Finn came into his own, leading Toledo to a nine-win season and a MAC Championship. He earned Second-Team All-MAC honors, averaging 240 yards of offense per game while totaling 30 touchdowns and 2,269 passing yards.
The following year, Finn was First-Team All-MAC and won the MAC’s Most Valuable Player Award while carrying the Rockets to an 11-3 season. He led the MAC in passing efficiency (151.04), passing yards (2,657), passing touchdowns (22), total offense per game (247.7) and quarterback rushing yards (563).
When Finn entered the transfer portal and committed to Baylor before the spring semester, the media and fanbase had an early consensus that it would only be a matter of time before he was announced as the Bears' starting signal caller. Aranda and company took a different approach, leaving the spring with an unsettled quarterback competition between Finn and returning backup Sawyer Robertson (RJr.).
At Big 12 Media Days in July, Aranda confirmed to 365 Sports that “it’ll be a fall camp decision” regarding naming a starter. For Aranda, not naming QB1 in the spring could have been due to a number of things – both quarterbacks understanding a new offense, learning from past mismanagements of naming a starter too early, Robertson making significant strides on the field or simply breeding more competition.
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Contrary to past years, the quarterback competition between Finn and Sawyer Robertson (RJr.) lasted well into fall camp.
Aranda tried to paint a better picture of Finn adjusting to life at Baylor, saying, “Everything before [at Toledo] was left, and when Dequan came over here, now everything is right.”
“He took all online courses at his previous school, for example,” Aranda added. “Now he’s going to class. It’s how you embrace that, how you accept that and how you move into that. He was great with it, and the later we got into spring, the more he embraced it, and his play improved.”
During the summer, Finn was invited to the prestigious Manning Passing Academy, where he was one of 10 collegiate standouts, according to On3. He has also been named to the Davey O’Brien Award, Maxwell Award and Golden Arm Preseason Watch Lists despite not formerly winning the starting quarterback job.
Fast-forward a few weeks later to the beginning of fall camp, Aranda was asked if he was concerned that Finn might not be the starter despite the NIL resources that were given to land the highly coveted Toledo transfer. He bluntly responded, “I’m really concerned about winning games.”
After the opening scrimmage of fall camp on Aug. 10, Aranda provided an update and told the media in attendance that “it’s [still] a close competition and guys are battling.” The fifth-year head coach mentioned that they needed to come to a conclusion “sooner rather than later.”
Roughly a week later, Finn was announced as the starter for the season opener following a solid showing at the second scrimmage of fall camp.
With Finn, the Bears will have a proven leader under center who can make magic happen through the air and on the ground. Fellow offensive playmaker and wide receiver Ketron Jackson (Sr.) is excited to see Finn on the field this fall.
“Dequan came in and established himself as a leader right away,” Jackson said. “Everyone loves him and loves his energy. There’s something about a quarterback that’s so vocal; it’s like an aura. He’s walking in and making plays.”
As the countdown to kickoff winds down, Finn and the Bears will open the season at 6 p.m. on Aug. 31 against Tarleton at McLane Stadium.
