There’s no bigger Tennessee football storyline for the 2025 season than the impending quarterback competition, and inquisitive fans have plenty of questions about it.
It’ll be a three-player race when the Vols kick off preseason practice on July 30.
Former Appalachian State standout Joey Aguilar transferred to UT from UCLA. Former four-star recruit Jake Merklinger is an inexperienced redshirt freshman. Former four-star recruit George MacIntyre is a freshman who enrolled in January.
They’ve been thrust into a battle for the starting job after Nico Iamaleava left UT over a dispute about NIL pay, and he ultimately transferred to UCLA.
UT fans submitted several questions about the quarterback competition. Let’s answer them in the Vols mailbag.
Any impressions of Joey Aguilar from summer workouts?
Nothing earth-shattering. Aguilar is building relationships with teammates, learning the offensive system, watching game film and throwing passes to receivers in players-only workouts.
The general takeaways have been positive. Those around the program say he’s confident and hard working. But the same has been said of Merklinger and MacIntyre.
Preseason practice will determine the pecking order.
What are the chances that Jake Merklinger beats out Joey Aguilar?
I’d put my money on Aguilar starting the opener against Syracuse, but that could change in preseason practice. It will be a legitimately wide-open competition, which could stretch into the season.
In 2021, Joe Milton transferred to UT after spring practice and started the first two games. But Hendon Hooker ultimately won the job.
These quarterbacks and this situation aren’t the same, but they’re similar. Even if Aguilar initially wins the job, he’ll have to play well to keep Merklinger off the field.
Why didn’t Josh Heupel stick with Jake Merklinger rather than add Joey Aguilar?
It wasn’t a binary decision. After Iamaleava transferred to UCLA, the Vols had only two quarterbacks and needed to add a third.
Aguilar was the most accomplished quarterback to enter the portal in the spring aside from Iamaleava, so UT got him. Not adding a quarterback wasn’t an option. And adding a lesser quarterback would’ve been foolish.
Coach Josh Heupel hasn’t abandoned Merklinger. If he outperforms Aguilar and demonstrates a better grasp of the offense, Merklinger will start.
Does George MacIntyre have a shot in this quarterback competition?
Yes, he’ll get a fair shot. But MacIntyre is the third option entering preseason practice, mostly because of his inexperience as a freshman.
Merklinger has experience in Heupel’s offense after a year in the system. Aguilar has playing experience with 24 starts at Appalachian State.
MacIntyre has neither. He would benefit from a developmental season to prepare to compete for the starting job in 2026.
Will Jake Merklinger or George MacIntyre ultimately transfer?
Recent trends suggest that at least one of them will finish their career at another school. However, that may not occur after in the near future because Aguilar has only one season of eligibility remaining, so he won’t be in the mix in 2026.
But in the portal era, a quarterback logjam usually works itself out.
By December, Merklinger and MacIntyre will have a clearer picture of the pecking order. Then five-star commitment Faizon Brandon will join the competition in 2026.
Could UT’s quarterbacks have a better season than Nico Iamaleava?
Whoever wins the starting job could put up bigger stats than Iamaleava. In 2024, he passed for 2,616 yards and 19 TDs and rushed for 358 yards and three TDs.
Those are good but not great numbers, especially in Heupel’s offense.
But Iamaleava operated the offense for an elite rushing attack and protected the ball well, tossing only five interceptions in 13 games. Those were factors in the Vols retaining leads en route to a 10-3 record and a College Football Playoff appearance.
In terms of Iamaleava’s 2025 season, he’ll be the featured weapon at UCLA, which has less talent than UT. It’ll be an interesting comparison.
Has any QB separated himself as a leader yet?
That’s hard to gauge from summer workouts.
Merklinger and MacIntyre were already likable among teammates, but they’re carrying a bigger burden after Iamaleava’s departure. Aguilar has a good reputation as a teammate, but he must build relationships quickly.
Their play will impact their leadership qualities. Players follow a winning quarterback.
When will Joey Aguilar do a media appearance?
Aguilar has mostly kept a low profile since transferring to UT. That’s probably a smart move considering the open competition and the very public way his predecessor left UT.
Aguilar will not attend SEC football media days. But all three quarterbacks will be available to local media at UT’s on-campus media day on July 29.
If a UT recruit wins the QB job, will it stop this money-chasing NIL free agency?
No. Every UT quarterback is paid well, regardless of how they got to the school.
They are paid in direct school-to-player revenue and NIL benefits. That goes for transfers and quarterbacks signed by UT out of high school. The money is green in both instances.
Hooker was one of the best quarterbacks in UT history, and he transferred from Virginia Tech. By the end of his career, he was paid well in NIL. Milton was a Michigan transfer who started under Heupel.
Transfer quarterbacks seeking lucrative deals aren’t going away, just like free agent quarterbacks are a staple in the NFL.
When do you think Josh Heupel will name a starting QB?
That depends on how tight the competition is. But the best guess is that Heupel will announce a starting quarterback at his Monday press conference before the season opener against Syracuse.
That’s what he did in 2021. He named Milton as the starter at his Monday press conference to start Week 1 of the season. But, as mentioned before, that wasn’t his final decision.
What does it say if Jake Merklinger wins the job?
It would mean that Merklinger’s grasp of the offense and decision making likely gave him the edge. Heupel needs his quarterback to run the offense efficiently and limit mistakes. That’s priority No. 1.
Playmaking ability is just a bonus, especially in such a state of uncertainty at the position.
Also, keep in mind that a quarterback switch can happen in either direction if the initial starter struggles. Merklinger could supplant Aguilar as the starter later in the season or Aguilar could supplant Merklinger.
What does it say about Jake Merklinger if Joey Aguilar wins the job?
It doesn’t shut the door on Merklinger as UT’s future starter. He’s only a redshirt freshman. He could get a second chance at starting later in the season, or he could develop into a starter in the 2026 season.
Before Iamaleava transferred, coaches demonstrated confidence in Merklinger’s progress. But they were judging him as Iamaleava’s backup rather than an immediate starter.
Merklinger could be a backup in 2025 and still be on pace to start in the future.
Even with Nico Iamaleava’s exit, drama around Josh Heupel’s teams seems short-lived
Drama seems to be constant around UT football. But you’re correct in saying that it has little to do with Heupel’s decisions.
Heupel had little or nothing to do with former coach Jeremy Pruitt’s recruiting scandal, an NCAA investigation into NIL benefits, a federal lawsuit against the NCAA on behalf of UT or financial schemes by former walk-on player Grant Frerking.
And that’s just a portion of the drama around UT football in recent years.
Heupel’s public persona probably helps extinguish drama. He doesn’t add fuel to the fire with outrageous comments. And he limits his reactions to off-the-field storylines.
Sometimes that’s frustrating to reporters because we want him to say more, not less. But his approach works in dumping cold water on spicy situations.
Heupel actually said more about Iamaleava’s departure than expected, but he quickly moved forward.
Once a QB is named, what are Tennessee’s odds against Syracuse?
UT opens the season against Syracuse on Aug. 30 (noon ET, ABC) in Atlanta.
The Vols are a 12.5-point favorite in most sports books. That could change slightly as new storylines surface for both teams in preseason practice.
Both teams face a critical competition at quarterback. Either LSU transfer Rickie Collins or Notre Dame transfer Steve Angeli will start for Syracuse, and they have little starting experience.
Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.
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