As just about every casual sports fan in the country knows by now, the Tennessee Volunteers will have a new starting quarterback in 2025 after the bizarre end to Nico Iamaleava’s time in Knoxville on the eve of the spring game back in April.
With Iamaleava off to UCLA through the transfer portal, Josh Heupel will have a new signal caller running his offense this fall, and he’ll have a trio of candidates to pick from.
The Outside Veteran
In an odd twist of fate, the Vols landed the QB who was set to start for UCLA this fall before Iamaleava arrived in Knoxville. Joey Aguilar had transferred to UCLA after the 2024 season after spending two seasons in Boone as the Mountaineers starter. In his two years under center, he completed 60.1% of his passes for 6760 yards with 56 touchdowns to 24 interceptions.
Aguilar has the appearance of a true gunslinger for Tennessee. He’s willing to push the ball deep and take risks, and he has the ability to tuck the ball and run for big games. Where the Vols’ deep passing game was foiled in part by an unwillingness at times – particularly in SEC play – by Nico to let it go deep, Aguilar won’t have that same hesitation. That would lead to big more big plays down the field in 2025, at least in theory.
Aguilar will need to take better care of the football, something that Heupel’s quarterbacks have done a tremendous job of during his four seasons in Knoxville. No starting UT QB on his watch has thrown more than five. Aguilar threw an FBS-high 14 in 2024. That’s the X factor that could hold him back. For now, at least to me, he’s the early leader in the clubhouse due to his experience.
The Familiar Face
Jake Merklinger has been kind of a forgotten name in all of this, but he shouldn’t be. The redshirt freshman has something that neither of his competitors can claim: experience in Josh Heupel’s offense.
Merklinger came to Knoxville as a part of the 2024 class as a four-star recruit out of Savannah, GA (Calvary Day School). His addition was kind of an afterthought in the recruiting world because it was believed that Iamaleava was going to be the Vols QB for at least the next two years at the time. How wrong that turned out to be.
Merklinger knows Heupel’s offense after two springs and a fall in Knoxville, and he has the accuracy to move the ball. And, like Aguilar, he can move if he needs to, as he had 439 rushing yards and 11 rushing scores his senior year of high school. That’s not irrelevant with the Vols having to replace 4 starters on the offensive line. The second-year player has a legit shot at the starting job.
The True Freshman
Much ballyhooed recruit George MacIntyre was a massive get for Josh Heupel, but like Merklinger, it was believed that 2025, at minimum, was going to be another year of Nico, with everyone else fighting for #2 while getting familiar with Josh Heupel’s offensive system.
You know what they say about best-laid plans, and such. MacIntyre’s spring game performance suddenly had a new level of importance, and he delivered with a strong outing. 12/15, 123 yards, 3 touchdowns.
It was one game, and it might not have been against the starters, but it exhibited the ability that made him one of the most sought-after QB prospects in the country. He might have an uphill battle for the job, but it’s not one that’s insurmountable if he has a strong fall camp.