Over a three-day period, the then-Oklahoma tight ends coach watched his longtime friend Jeff Lebby secure the head coaching job at Mississippi State on Nov. 27.

Many assumed Finley would follow Lebby given their longtime friendship and the 38-year-old’s rising stock. Finley informed his father, Mickey, and older brother, Clint, that he wanted to stay in Norman, where he was once a burly tight end who caught passes for Heisman quarterbacks Jason White and Sam Bradford from 2004-07.

“He had several (coaching) opportunities,” Mickey told the OU Daily. “He had to sort through them, but he’s always loved Oklahoma. … It was a great opportunity for him to go back there and I knew he wanted to stay. Once he talked to coach Venables what opportunities were going to be there for him at (Oklahoma), it was a pretty easy decision for him to make.”

After a three-day search, Venables informed Finley he was promoting him to become Seth Littrell’s co-offensive coordinator on Nov. 29. Finley accepted the position with no hesitation, knowing deep down it was the opportunity he was waiting for since being back in Norman since 2021.

While Littrell will call plays in 2024, Finley will use his deep offensive knowledge and coaching experience, enriched with SEC tenures at Missouri (2016-2018), Texas A&M (2019) and Mississippi (2020), to help lead the Sooners’ offense. What has shined most for Finley is his deep understanding of the game, which allows him to further connect with players in the film room and practice.

‘I always saw him as a coach’

Once a skinny quarterback playing under his father at Arlington High School in Texas from 1999-2002, Finley committed to the Sooners thinking he’d be under center.

He threw for 1,626 passing yards and 12 touchdowns in his senior season. Being in command of an offense, Finley was able to see the field, learn different offensive cues and manipulate the defense with his eyes.

When he wasn’t a quarterback in high school, Finley grew up helping his father on the sidelines as a ball boy. There, he was always measuring what it took to run a successful offense.

“(As a quarterback), I always wanted to know the ‘why’ behind everything,” Finley said. “Like, why are we doing this vs. this. It was not just my position but the quarterback, the offensive line, and I think that mentality of being a coach’s son and quarterback has helped me learn throughout the years.”

Finley’s curiosity born in high school was later put to the test when he joined the Sooners in 2003. He was behind future Heisman-winning quarterback Jason White, Paul Thompson and Tommy Grady on the depth chart, and to earn more playing time, Finley switched to tight end.

Where Finley shined physically, he also showcased his mental toolset. Even when OU tight ends Jermaine Gresham and Brody Eldridge were gunning for his position, Finley sat back and taught them the mechanics for blocking, route running and catching. Gutierrez endured hours of watching film at their apartment when the two weren’t arguing about dirty dishes or playing cup pong.

“I always saw him as a coach,” Gutierrez said. “His love for the game sticks out and he knows how to emphasize the X’s and O’s. He just loves it. He always has (watched film) and whether he was playing it as a teammate or coaching. He’s got that love for the game. I t served him well then and it continues to serve him well now.”