Tennessee redshirt freshman quarterback Jake Merklinger has agreed to a new contract, according to On3’s Pete Nakos, locking in the redshirt freshman with the Vols for the 2025 season.
Merklinger and freshman George MacIntyre are currently the only two quarterbacks on Tennessee’s roster. The Vols received a commitment from UCLA transfer quarterback Joey Aguilar.
Aguilar entered the NCAA Transfer Portal after former Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava left the Vols and signed with UCLA. Aguilar had transferred from Appalachian State to UCLA in December.
Merklinger was a four-star prospect ranked as the No. 12 quarterback in the 2024 class out of Calvary Day School in Savannah, Georgia. He was ranked No. 201 overall in the country and No. 23 overall in the state of Georgia.
Tennessee moved on from Nico Iamaleava on April 12.
Merklinger appeared in two games last season, completing 6 of 9 passes for 48 yards.
MacIntyre was a four-star prospect in the 2025 class out of Brentwood Academy in Nashville. He was ranked as the No. 15 quarterback in the class. He was No. 192 overall and No. 3 in the state of Tennessee.
Aguilar threw for 6,760 yards, 56 touchdowns, and 24 interceptions over the previous two seasons at Appalachian State, completing 60.1% of his passes, averaging 13.2 yards per completion and 8.0 yards per attempt.
Nakos reported on April 10 that Iamaleava was in contract negotiations for a new NIL deal to stay at Tennessee. Iamaleava did not report to practice the next morning and was not in communication with Tennessee’s coaching staff through the day.
Josh Heupel and the Vols then decided to move on from Iamaleava, announcing the news to the team on the morning of April 12, before Tennessee’s Orange & White Game at Neyland Stadium.
“We got two guys in that room, excited to go watch them go play,” Heupel said before the annual split-squad spring game. “They’ve had a really good spring, grown throughout it. Excited about having a chance to get out in front of our fans and our guys go compete today.”
Merklinger said after the Orange & White Game that there had been no change in his mindset after the surprising Iamaleava departure. “We were going to get the same amount of reps in the spring game regardless,” he said at the time, “so no added pressure … approach every day like you’re the starter, keep working hard and just try to be the best version of yourself.”
The move to change Merklinger’s contract sets up a potential three-way competition at quarterback this offseason. Aguilar will enter fall camp with the edge in game experience, having appeared in 25 games with the Mountaineers in 2023 and 2024. Aguilar has 6,750 passing yards, 56 touchdowns, and 24 interceptions to his name. He set a number of passing and scoring records at Appalachian State in 2023.
In true new-era college football style, a Tennessee quarterback with limited playing experience and no guarantees to be the 2025 starter received a new contract ahead of the fall. Jake Merklinger, who has suddenly been pushed into the spotlight in Knoxville, received a new contract ahead of the 2025 season, according to On3’s Pete Nakos.
Merklinger is a former four-star prospect who spent last season as the third-string quarterback behind Nico Iamaleava and Gaston Moore. Moore hit the portal back in the winter, then Iamaleava shocked the college football world by entering the portal this spring. He would end up moving on to UCLA.
Tennessee, left with just Merklinger and George MacIntyre on the roster, added former Appalachian State and (briefly) UCLA quarterback Joey Aguilar out of the portal. The trio are expected to battle it out for the starting job this fall, with Aguilar now hoping to arrive at some point in the middle of May.
Per On3, Merklinger was the 12th ranked quarterback in the class of 2024. The redshirt freshman was barely used last season in mop-up time, completing six of his nine passes. With Iamaleava already out, Merklinger and MacIntyre split quarterback duties in the Orange and White Game.
Aguilar’s experience is obviously a massive boost in this battle, but Josh Heupel’s offense is unique. Merklinger has been working with Heupel for over a year, while MacIntyre has been with the team since December. Can Aguilar make up that much ground to secure the starting job? That remains to be seen.
Whatever happens, it sounds like Merklinger got a raise. We saw a similar situation play out with cornerback Rickey Gibson earlier this offseason following the Jermod McCoy injury. In situations where players have all the leverage, their agents are going to take advantage — like it or not.
Reports from ON3’s Pete Nakos have started to circulate that Tennessee and Jake Merklinger reached a new deal ahead of the QB competition this off-season.
The Tennessee Volunteers are now past their Spring football camp and are set for their summer and fall camps in the future.
A big headline for the Vols was losing Nico Iamaleava to the NCAA Transfer Portal, and he would later commit to the UCLA Bruins. Following that announcement, the Vols would go and add Joey Aguilar who joined them from UCLA after announcing his transfer portal decision just hours before committing to the Vols.
Aguilar is set to battle with two QBs, including Jake Merklinger, who recently made headlines. It was announced that Jake Merklinger received a new deal with the Tennessee Volunteers for the 2025 season. He is set to compete in an open QB competition against George MacIntyre and Aguilar.
Tennessee football has a quarterback battle brewing on Rocky Top after Tennessee signed Joey Aguilar in the transfer portal, but it looks like the Vols are buying in on Jake Merklinger heading into the summer.
Aguilar’s acquisition led many to believe that he might be the guy for Tennessee this year, spreading hype throughout Vol Nation. While that might still be the case, it looks like Tennessee is not putting all its eggs in one basket.
While the Vols signed Aguilar out of the transfer portal, Merklinger’s new contract signals that there will officially be a quarterback battle on Rocky Top.
Merklinger offers the most experience in Josh Heupel’s offense, which immediately gives him the upper hand in a QB battle because of his reliability in navigating the system.
Heupel has often relied on players who know the system over others who are still learning the ins and outs of the offense. While that could be the case again this year, there is not nearly as much room for error for any player in Tennessee’s quarterback room.
Tennessee isn’t initially riding with Aguilar, although the signing sparked some excitement throughout Vol Nation. Aguilar’s addition only complicates the quarterback battle, with freshman quarterback George MacIntyre waiting for his opportunity as
