TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Western Kentucky announced the winner of its quarterback battle Monday, as Hilltoppers head coach Tyson Helton said T.J. Finley will break the huddle first during Saturday’s opener against No. 5 Alabama.

The Crimson Tide won’t need any introductions when it comes to the three-time transfer.

Saturday’s game will mark the third time Finley has faced Alabama, all with different teams. The Ponchatoula, Louisiana native originally signed with LSU in 2020 and started for the Tigers during their 55-17 loss to the Tide that year. After transferring to Auburn the following offseason, Finley started for the Tigers in the classic 2021 Iron Bowl that saw Alabama pull off a 24-22 victory in four overtimes. Finley was also part of the Auburn team that lost to Alabama, 49-27, in the 2022 Iron Bowl. However, he didn’t see the field during that defeat.

In his two previous matchups against Alabama, Finley is a combined 31 of 54 for 281 yards and three touchdowns with an interception. Those totals weren’t enough to get him a win. But will the experience against Alabama serve as an advantage for Finley in his third try against the Tide this weekend?

First-year Alabama defensive coordinator Kane Wommack says it can go either way.

“Obviously, when a player has had experience playing against a team, there’s a certain level of comfort, especially if you’ve been in the stadium or whatever that may be,” Wommack said Monday. “But then when you’ve faced a guy you’ve seen it in real time how he responds to success, how he responds to adversity.

“Quarterbacks are so much of what progression does this quarterback go through? What is his pre-snap routine? What does his cadence look like? So getting to see some of those things in real time certainly helps. I would say it probably helps on both sides in some ways.”

While Finley took a break from the Tide after transferring to Texas State last season, he went up against Wommack’s South Alabama. Finley tore up Wommack’s defense, completing 19 of 28 passes for 368 yards and three touchdowns with an interception while leading Texas State to a 52-44 win.

“I’m really impressed with him a year ago. I thought he’s got a really good release. He can make all the throws. I thought he did a really good job of managing their offense really well. He took what was given early and can work through a progression. It will be interesting to see how Tyson [Helton] and their staff utilizes him maybe different than what [Texas State head coach] G.J. Kinne did or the Auburn staff before that or whatever it may be.”

Finley is coming off easily the best season of his career, completing 68.6% of his passes for 3,287 yards and 24 touchdowns with eight interceptions during his lone year in Texas. The 6-foot-7, 238-pound quarterback is a former three-star recruit and ranked as the No. 21 pro-style quarterback in the 2020 class.

“I think he’s got a skill set that you can utilize in a lot of different ways,” Wommack said. “And then, he’s a big son of a gun. He’s a guy that can fall forward, and if he does he’s going to go for 3 or 4 yards, just getting downhill. One of the things we really lean into are what are their escape styles. He may have a very different escape style from what we’ve seen from Ty Simpson or Jalen Milroe. Those are things that we want to get our guys very clued into as we’re getting ready to match these guys up.”

While Alabama is familiar with Finley, it remains to be seen how he’ll look in Western Kentucky’s offense. The Hilltoppers ranked No. 15 in passing offense last season after ranking No. 2 in 2022 and No. 1 in 2021.

“What they do schematically is, I think one of the better offensive systems in the country right now,” Wommack said. “They do a really good job of attacking you vertically down the field, but they take easy-access throws as you give them in the passing game. … They’re creative guys. They’re going to utilize tempo to their advantage. They do a really good job of working formations in and out of tempo. A lot of different formations and nuances that maybe you haven’t worked that you’ve gotta be able to fix in real time in a game.

“You see all types of tricks. You see all types of different shots and stuff like that. They’re aggressive play-callers. I’ve seen them over the years and it’s admirable the way they go about things, and it’s impressive how aggressive they are in certain areas. We’ll have our work cut out for us.”

While Alabama will prepare for Finley in a new offense, the transfer quarterback might not be the only passer the Tide sees on Saturday. After announcing Finley as his starter on Monday, Helton noted that redshirt sophomore Caden Veltkamp could also see some action inside Bryant-Denny Stadium.

“Wouldn’t be shocked if he gets in there and we’re gonna continue to evaluate both quarterbacks throughout the early part of the season. Just because I think both quarterbacks can win for us,” Helton said. “I don’t want any one particular guy looking over his shoulder or feeling pressure. I know what that feels like but I know competition brings out the best in everybody. So, we’ll continue to do that piece of it.”

No. 5 Alabama will open its season against Western Kentucky on Saturday at 6 p.m. CT inside Bryant-Denny Stadium. The game will be televised on ESPN.