Former Auburn quarterback Zach Calzada is headed back to the state of Texas, this time to play for one of the nation’s top FCS programs.

Calzada, who reentered the transfer portal in December, signed with Incarnate Word on Wednesday, the program announced. Incarnate Word reached the FCS semifinals last season and finished the year ranked third in the final FCS top-25 poll.

Read more Auburn football: Former Auburn reserve quarterback transferring to Albany

Auburn flips transfer from Illinois, brings in center Avery Jones

Former All-American, USF running back transfer commits to Auburn

Calzada’s transfer to Incarnate Word officially brought an end to a peculiar year for the former three-star prospect and Georgia native. Calzada transferred to Auburn last January after starting his career at Texas A&M, where he started 10 games at quarterback for the Aggies during the 2021 season.

He was one of three quarterbacks the Tigers brought in last season to vie for the starting job against T.J. Finley, joining Oregon transfer Robby Ashford and four-star freshman Holden Geriner. Many viewed Calzada as the favorite to take over as Auburn’s QB1 following the departure of three-year starter Bo Nix, who transferred to Oregon after the 2021 season, but that never really came to fruition.

Calzada committed to Auburn after then-coach Bryan Harsin hired Austin Davis as the program’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, but Davis’ time in that role was short-lived, as he resigned from the position six weeks after accepting the job — and without ever having coached a practice. Despite Davis’ departure, Calzada remained at Auburn, but he was limited throughout spring practices while recovering from a shoulder injury that he, coincidentally, sustained during Texas A&M’s win against Auburn during the 2021 season.

The injury impacted Calzada’s standing in the quarterback race, and even after he was cleared to return in the summer, he experienced another setback with his shoulder. By the fall, he’d fallen behind both Finley and Ashford in the quarterback competition. Finley was named the starter prior to the season, while Ashford remained in the mix and ultimately took over for Finley after the former LSU transfer injured his shoulder during the Penn State game.

Calzada did not appear in any of Auburn’s first three games, and he ultimately opted for season-ending shoulder surgery after that Penn State game to address lingering issues with his non-throwing shoulder.

Calzada, who completed 56.1 percent of his passes for 2,185 yards, 17 touchdowns and nine interceptions during the 2021 season at Texas A&M, will have two years of eligibility remaining at Incarnate Word.

Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.