As it was largely expected, Tennessee backup quarterback Jake Merklinger is planning on hitting the transfer portal. The former 4-star prospect was pushed into a sudden quarterback battle following the exit of Nico Iamaleava this past summer, but lost the gig to Joey Aguilar.
Now with the possibility of Aguilar returning, along with the arrival of 5-star freshman quarterback Faizon Brandon, Merklinger will search for new opportunity to play.
Merklinger is originally from Savannah, Georgia. He was the 212th ranked prospect overall in the class of 2024, according 247Sports. Merklinger wasn’t able to show much in his limit chances, operating primarily in mop-up duty.
Tennessee is left with George MacIntyre and Faizon Brandon on the roster. The lawsuit that may allow Aguilar to play another season doesn’t have a definitive timeline for a solution. Without a guarantee and the transfer portal opening on January 2nd, it’ll be interesting to see how Josh Heupel and company handle the situation.
However it shakes out — Aguilar or not — Tennessee will have a veteran quarterback on its roster this fall. Will that guy be coming in to start? Or is it more for insurance and to battle it out with Brandon and MacIntrye. That remains to be seen.
