ESPN makes strong statement about new Tennessee Vols QB Jake Merklinger in comparison to Joe Milton

ESPN college football analyst Tom Luginbill likes the way 2024 four-star quarterback Jake Merklinger fits with the Tennessee Vols. 

Luginbill, in fact, likes the fit so much that he's already proclaimed that Merklinger should be "far more consistent and efficient as a passer" than Joe Milton was for the Vols. 

From ESPN: Merklinger is as an efficient, on-time passer who will get the ball out quickly and accurately. That checks all the boxes for the Volunteers' offense. This comes to a very QB-friendly scheme that hums when the signal-caller is in a groove. Merklinger should be far more consistent and efficient as a passer than Joe Milton III was.

Merklinger, 6-foot-3/195 lbs from Savannah, GA, officially signed with the Vols last week. The Georgia native is ranked in 247Sports' composite rankings as the No. 10 quarterback in the nation and the No. 18 player in the state of Georgia. He's also ranked as the No. 128 overall player in the 2024 recruiting class. 

Milton completed 63.1 percent of his passes at Tennessee, including 64.7 percent of his passes in 2023 (his only full year as a starter for the Vols). Milton's "accuracy issues" have been a bit overblown by the national media (Tennessee also had far too many drops from wide receivers in 2023, which obviously hurt Milton's completion percentage), but there's no doubt that there's also room for improvement. And it's clear that Luginbill thinks Merklinger, who wasn't as heralded of a recruit as former five-star recruit Nico Iamaleava, will be an improvement over Milton.