Wednesday night marked a significant game for Miami (OH)’s starting quarterback. Dequan Finn spent five seasons at Toledo from 2019-23, and after a brief detour at Baylor, he returned to the MAC to suit up for the RedHawks. This past week, he was slated to face his former program for the first time when Toledo traveled to Miami, but he surprisingly refrained from an appearance. Finn missed the midweek contest due to undisclosed reasons.
On Friday, Miami head coach Chuck Martin revealed that Finn is
no longer with the team.
“Dequan’s moving on,” Martin said. “We had 11 good months with him. Dequan did some awesome things. He’s an awesome young man. We spent a lot of time together. At this point, he’s gotta move on. He’s got a shot to play at the next level. He’s gonna train to get ready to do that. We appreciate what he did for us, we wish him the best, but we will not see him the rest of the year.”
Finn started eight of Miami’s 10 games to date, compiling 1,451 passing yards, nine passing touchdowns, and six interceptions, as well as 395 yards and four touchdowns as a runner. The seventh-year senior previously earned All-MAC honors in 2022 and 2023 at Toledo, claiming the Vern Smith Leadership Award in 2023 — in other words, the MAC’s MVP. Finn participated in two MAC Championship Games with the Rockets and won the conference title in 2022. This year presented Finn another shot at winning the league, but he will focus on NFL prep moving forward, per Martin. He is longer listed on the roster on the team website.
Martin announced Henry Hesson as the starting quarterback moving forward. Hesson has three collegiate starts with the RedHawks — the 2023 Cure Bowl vs. Appalachian State and home games vs. Lindenwood (FCS) and Toledo this year. The fifth-year senior has 489 passing yards, three touchdowns, and three interceptions on a 42.9 completion rate in three total appearances this year, and he’ll look to guide Miami to bowl eligibility down the stretch of the season — and possibly a third-straight MAC Championship Game with some outside assistance — as Buffalo and Ball State loom on the November schedule.
