After the offseason fiasco surrounding Nico Iamaleava, the Tennessee Volunteers’ quarterback room will look considerably different for the 2025 season. When the Vols take the field against Syracuse on August 30th, they will be led by either Appalachian State transfer Joey Aguilar or returning backup Jake Merklinger, who are locked in an intense competition to begin the season. Both quarterbacks offer intriguing options for the Vols in game 1, but depending on who they choose, Tennessee could be on track to return to the College Football Playoffs.
When watching Tennessee’s offense this season, fans may have to resort to looking at depth charts to figure out who everyone is. Losing Dont’e Thornton and Dylan Sampson to the draft, as well as a flurry of transfers at the WR position, has left the offense with a lot of new faces. The biggest new face for the Tennessee offense will no doubt be who goes under center this season. If the Vols want someone who knows the system, the easy choice is Freshman Jake Merklinger.
Now, Merklinger only appeared in two games last season, but he has been with the team a full season now and should know the offensive playbook pretty well. Josh Heupel, Tennessee’s head coach, runs a unique system that is extremely fast paced at times. It would benefit Huepel to choose a QB who knows how to operate in his system and can help some of the newer faces adjust to the pace. Choosing Merklinger to take the reins at QB would provide the Vols with at least some sort of familiarity with the offensive system.
One of the most significant additions to the Tennessee offense this offseason was QB Joey Aguilar, who ironically transferred from UCLA after Iamaleava transferred there. Before going to UCLA, Aguilar starred at Appalachian State and had similar numbers to another Vols transfer QB who turned into a star under Heupel’s system, Hendon Hooker. Below is a comparison of both QBs before they played at Tennessee:
Joey Aguilar (Appalachian State 2023-24)- 60.1 Cmp%, 6,760 Yds, 56 TD, 24 Int, 143.0 QB Rate
Hendon Hooker (Virginia Tech 2018-20)- 63.1 Cmp%, 2,894 Yds, 22 TD, 7 Int, 159.8 QB Rate
Aguilar, like Hooker, is good at getting the ball into the hands of the receivers at a high rate. This will be a massive plus for a Tennessee offense with a lot of new faces at the WR position. Aguilar is slightly riskier than Hooker, as evidenced by his high interception percentage, which could be an issue in an offensive system that encourages fast play, leading to riskier decisions. The talent with Aguilar is there, as is the experience, so the question becomes is how much Heupel trusts Aguilar to run his offense?
When the Vols take the field on August 30th against Syracuse, both Merklinger and Aguilar will see significant playing time to see how both QBs operate with the new look offense. The following week, Tennessee takes on ETSU, an in-state FCS school, meaning both QBs could see considerable playing time once again. While Merklinger is the more familiar option for Heupel, Aguilar has more experience and is likely to provide more “pop” to the offense. Ultimately, Aguilar should be the pick to start this year for the Vols.
The Vols are looking to have a repeat of 2024 and make the College Football Playoffs this upcoming season. To achieve this, they have to make the right choice at QB. Both Aguilar and Merklinger have the necessary skills to play the position well, so both will likely get significant playing time at the beginning of the season. So, it could be game three before Vols fans get any answers as to who the starter will be this year. That game on September 13th, by the way, will be against Georgia, arguably Tennessee’s biggest game of the season.
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