"He'll probably be the backup" - Tennessee insider dishes on Joey Aguilar-Jake Merklinger-George MacIntyre QB1 battle

With Nico Iamaleava gone, Tennessee has a wide-open quarterback battle heading into the 2025 season. The Volunteers have two untested young quarterbacks left, Jake Merklinger and George MacIntyre, alongside Joey Aguilar, who brings a wealth of experience from Appalachian State.

Aguilar, a 6-foot-3, 220-pound athlete, threw for 3,757 yards and 33 touchdowns as a sophomore. He followed that with 3,003 yards and 23 touchdowns as a junior in 2024. Aguilar also had over 200 rushing yards in each campaign.

Meanwhile, Merklinger has been with the program for over a year. He was a four-star recruit and redshirted last season. MacIntyre is the youngest of the group, a true freshman who joined in the winter. He did well in the spring and reportedly outplayed Merklinger in the Orange and White game.

Tennessee insider “Sports Talk J,” also known as John, gave his opinion on Wednesday on the quarterback battle. He was also asked if Aguilar would be the starter.

“I would think so," John said, via “Crain & Company.” " … You’re not going to go out and play in the SEC or the Big 10 with no experience and light the place up. You need somebody with as much experience as they can possibly have.

"Even if it’s not at the level of a power four like he (Joey Aguilar) had up there in Appalachian State, I’d much rather have the fifth year guy that’s been in the trenches and been under a ton of pressure and knows how to handle it than necessarily somebody brand new."

John added that he thinks Merklinger would be the backup.

"I know Jake Merklinger was a high recruit," John said. "He was a four star, but he’s never really played any important action. I think he’ll probably be the backup and then they'll have George McIntyre, who was a top hundred guy that’s gonna be a true freshman and he’s 6-foot-6, 190.”

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Tennessee insider says Jake Merklinger won't hand over the QB1 job to Joey Aguilar easily

Many view Joey Aguilar as the favorite to win Tennessee’s starting quarterback job, as he brings four years of experience to the program. However, the race isn’t over yet, according to VolQuest’s Brent Hubbs.

On May 30, Hubbs said that Jake Merklinger is putting in extra work.

"You look at Merklinger, there's a photo out on Twitter this week," Hubbs said, via “104.5 The Zone.” "What was he doing? He was working out with a bunch of those receivers (from Tennessee). He was working out with Mike Matthews and Braylon Staley, and he was working out with Travis Smith, the freshman. He's not going to roll over.

"He had the best spring he's had in his career, he's got more confidence than he's ever had.”

Hubbs added that Joey Aguilar is still learning the Vols offense, while Merklinger already knows it.

“Jake Merklinger thinks he could win this job," Hubbs said. "He 100 percent believes that — that's not fool's gold. That is his 100 percent belief in where he's at. And he's going to go for it."

As for George MacIntyre, Hubbs said the freshman keeps improving but needs to add more weight and strength. He believes all three quarterbacks are going to compete hard, and leadership will be important this summer.