Jake Merklinger’s Path To Starting Snaps

Tennessee Volunteers quarterback Jake Merklinger likely wasn’t expecting to see the field much this season. Yet, he now finds himself primed to make a run at the starting spot.

Tennessee quarterback Jake Merklinger faces a grueling schedule. While Merklinger maintains that he prepared as if he would be the Vols’ starter, the reality is that there’s a different mentality when a clear-cut starter is in your room. Everyone else becomes a backdrop, a supporting cast of guys waiting for the next opportunity at their university. But what happens when said clear-cut starter leaves before the position is supposed to reset?

That’s the current state of affairs in Knoxville, Tennessee. Quarterback Nico Iamaleava has transferred to the UCLA Bruins in a stunning turn of events that left the Volunteers scrambling to find another option in the transfer portal mere months ahead of season kickoff. Merklinger, alongside UCLA transfer Joey Aguilara and true freshman George MacIntyre, are now auditioning for a spot everyone had cast eighteen months ago. Iamaleava was the crown jewel of Tennessee’s 2023 recruiting class and the face of the program. That’s an awful lot to replace given four months’ notice.

Someone has to do it, though. And that person is walking into a promising opportunity. Tennessee invested a lot in this current version of the offense to revive the passing attack, which was mediocre even with Iamaleava last year. They have seven figures invested in both starting offensive tackles, have a dynamic, though unproven, receiving core, and are making strides at the tight end position. Head coach Josh Heupel runs the show as one of the best play-callers in college football, and the defense could be one of the top units in the SEC.

Merklinger has spent the most time in Heupel’s system. While they might have more dollars allocated to Aguilar and MacIntyre, there’s a growing hope among the Volunteer fanbase that Merklinger can win the job. He’s impressed onlookers during spring practice with his live arm and pinpoint accuracy, and he’s a capable athlete. However, the race for the starting job will likely last throughout the spring and summer, and Merklinger’s path forward is difficult.

The number one thing the coaching staff will want to see from each competitor is their command and control. How do they respond to their teammates? How do their teammates respond to them? Who’s getting the play-call in from the sideline the quickest? Who can be a stabilizing figure in the face of pressure? The coaches can’t get all the answers over the next four months, but they can begin to put the pieces together.

Merklinger is an established presence in the system and locker room. He has spent a full calendar year eating, sleeping, and breathing Tennessee football. He has long-term relationships with his teammates and also understands the standard in practice and on game day. That certainly puts him ahead, as time and energy are the most important things you can give.

However, the coaches will also want to see someone who puts the team in the right situations. It doesn’t seem like anyone will have tremendously high expectations for anyone who trots out behind center, but they will expect a lot from the team. Poor seasons haven’t been the standard under Heupel, and while many would be sympathetic toward Tennessee’s situation given recent events, tempered expectations are still expectations. There are only wins and losses in college football.

Fortunately, Heupel’s system allows for a baseline level of success for anyone who can do the simple things. The guy who gets Tennessee on the football fastest, hits his layup opportunities with boundary screens and the quick game, and can keep the team ahead of the sticks has a great shot at winning the starting gig. Merklinger looked sharp during his reps in the spring game and did these things at a reasonable level, but daily consistency in these areas will draw eyebrows.

Finally, if Merklinger can contextualize the situation and make the extra plays that win football games, he will win the starting quarterback job. Many people in Knoxville are rooting for him, but they also want to see the team win games. Merklinger isn’t as talented as Nico, and because of that, he has to be uber-aware of the down and distance, the time on the clock, and the game situation. Finding the right plays in the right moments with the right effort and attitude is something that could not only win him the starting job but also win Tennessee some games this fall.