He’ll battle for the starting job this fall.
In the modern era of college football, a Tennessee quarterback who hasn’t seen any game action and has no assurances of being the 2025 starter has been awarded a new contract before the fall season. Jake Merklinger, now in the spotlight in Knoxville, received this new contract ahead of the 2025 season, as reported by On3’s Pete Nakos.
Tennessee and quarterback Jake Merklinger have agreed on a new contract ahead of the 2025 season, sources tell @On3sports.
He'll compete with George MacIntyre and UCLA transfer Joey Aguilar for the starting job.
More: https://t.co/9zMXf9YFwW pic.twitter.com/0MYYkhRtni
— Pete Nakos (@PeteNakos_) April 28, 2025
Merklinger, a former four-star recruit, was the third-string quarterback last season behind Nico Iamaleava and Gaston Moore. After Moore entered the transfer portal in the winter and Iamaleava made headlines by joining the portal this spring, ultimately transferring to UCLA, Tennessee was left with only Merklinger and George MacIntyre on its roster. They then brought in former Appalachian State and briefly UCLA quarterback Joey Aguilar from the portal. These three are expected to compete for the starting position this fall, with Aguilar aiming to arrive around mid-May.
According to On3, Merklinger was ranked as the 12th best quarterback in the 2024 class. As a redshirt freshman, he saw limited action last season, completing six of nine passes in garbage time. With Iamaleava gone, Merklinger and MacIntyre shared quarterback responsibilities during the Orange and White Game.
Aguilar’s experience gives him an advantage in this competition, but Josh Heupel’s offensive system is distinctive. Merklinger has been training with Heupel for over a year, while MacIntyre joined the team in December. Whether Aguilar can quickly close the gap to earn the starting role remains uncertain.
Regardless of the outcome, it appears Merklinger received a contract increase. A similar scenario occurred with cornerback Rickey Gibson earlier this offseason following Jermod McCoy’s injury, showing that when players have the upper hand, their agents will leverage it—whether it’s favorable or not.
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