Dequan Finn: The new driver of Miami football’s offense

It’s a new era for Miami University football.

Since 2019, Brett Gabbert has been the RedHawks’ starting quarterback. After two Mid-American Conference (MAC) championships and three appearances respectively, the keys to the RedHawk offense will be held by a new driver.

While the quarterback may be new to Miami, his name is certainly familiar to MAC fans.

Dequan Finn spent his first five seasons at the University of Toledo, before spending the 2024 season at Baylor University.

For many RedHawk fans, it may take some getting used to seeing a former opponent now donning the Red and White. However, in today’s era of college football,, it’s a new reality.

Miami will look to embrace the new, yet crucial member as it looks to get back to the MAC championship game for the third consecutive season in December.

After a high school career at Martin Luther King High School in Detroit, where he won a state championship and was named Mr. Football of Michigan in 2018, Finn originally committed to the Central Michigan University Chippewas. However, after a coaching change, Finn decommitted and instead took his talents to Toledo.

In five seasons with the Rockets, Finn played in 45 games, threw for more than 7,000 yards and 63 touchdowns, and ran for another 1,840 yards and 25 touchdowns. His 2023 campaign was his last – and best – season with Toledo. He threw for more than 2,600 yards and 22 touchdowns while rushing for another 25 touchdowns enroute to a Vern Smith Leadership win for the most valuable player in the conference.

He faced the RedHawks twice that season, once in the regular season at Yager Stadium and once at Ford Field for the MAC championship, which Miami won.

After an injury-forced shortened season at Baylor last season, Finn’s entrance in the transfer portal coincided with a quarterback opening for Miami, and a natural connection emerged.

“He was in the portal for a month, and he was doing his thing, we were doing our thing,” head coach Chuck Martin said. “He was looking at some other places, and he didn’t like his options that were in front of him. He had some good options, but he was looking for something more specific.”

Once those initial conversations happened, it didn’t take long for Finn to become a RedHawk. For him, the familiarity with the Miami program and the MAC, as well as his fit in the offense, played a major role.

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“I know the tradition here, and I know [Martin’s] mindset,” Finn said. “I know he’s a winner. That was really the main reason why I chose Miami, and just understanding the type of system that he has: it’s a quarterback-friendly system.”

Finn’s arrival concurs with a completely new offense for the RedHawks. Miami returns zero starters from last year’s offense, resulting in a group that will have to learn quickly and on the fly.

“He’s still learning, and we’re still learning from him,” Martin said. “If you come in with a new quarterback, but everyone else returns, it’s a lot easier to fit just one guy in. But we got new receivers, new o-line, new tight end: Everybody’s new.”

That learning process is an ever-evolving one as everyone tries to get on the same page quickly. Veteran leadership often comes from the quarterback position, and while Finn is still new to the program, he’s starting to find his voice.

“I think he’s done a really good job, just rallying the troops, rallying the offense,” redshirt senior Deion Colzie said. “Before every team period, before every one-on-one, he always gets us together and gives us a talk. It’s obviously important for the quarterback to be the leader of the team, and I think he’s done a good job of that so far.”

While Finn continues to work on his vocal leadership skills with his new squad, he also hopes to bring a rushing threat from the quarterback position.

Finn provides a different skill set compared to Gabbert, who primarily served as a pocket passer during his six seasons at Miami. Gabbert never rushed for more than 151 yards in a season (2021) and had six rushing yards last season. What makes Miami’s coaches excited this year is Finn’s ability to make a play even in the most dire of situations.

“I think his biggest strength is when things break down and [he makes]a play out of nothing,” quarterbacks coach Gus Ragland said. “When a play breaks down, when someone gets beat and when he leaves the pocket, great things happen.”

Finn eclipsed more than 500 rushing yards in each of his three seasons as Toledo’s starter. He is the only quarterback in Rocket history to do that while throwing for more than 2,000 yards in three seasons.

He said while he wants to be a pass-first quarterback, he will run when he has to. He added that he believes that will open things up for the entire offense, including the lead running back for the RedHawks, Kenny Tracy.

What impresses the coaching staff the most, however, has been what Finn does outside of practice.

“He works really hard.” Ragland said. “He spends a lot of extra time, whether it’s in the film room, whether it’s throwing after, whether it’s getting extra weight room work in: that kind of makes him who he is, that’s why he’s had success in his life [and] that’s why he’s had success in his career.”

After Miami’s opening game at the University of Wisconsin, Finn and the rest of the RedHawks will look to rebound on Sept. 6 against the Rutgers University Scarlet Knights.

mill2361@miamioh.edu