Jake Merklinger Taking Strides In Year Two

Tennessee Volunteers quarterback Jake Merklinger has had a productive spring. After ten spring practices, the redshirt freshman has camp buzzing.

Ten spring practices have gone by for the Tennessee Volunteers. They'll have their second scrimmage of the spring on Monday before closing their practice window with five practices and the annual Orange and White Game. Tennessee elected to follow several other major programs and not televise the spring game this year. So, while not every fan may get to see it, quarterback Jake Merklinger has taken massive strides during these past few months.

The redshirt freshman had a relatively quiet path to Knoxville, Tennessee. He chose the Vols over Georgia, Michigan State, and North Carolina and stayed solid in his pledge through early national signing day. Merklinger posted a sparkling senior season at Calvary Day School in Savannah, Georgia, throwing for 3,028 yards and 38 touchdowns against two interceptions. Merklinger added 439 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns with his legs.

While plenty inside the building were excited to have him, not many outside Knoxville made a big deal about his signing. Merklinger is the lowest-rated quarterback to sign with Tennessee under head coach Josh Heupel and didn't participate in the 2024 Elite 11 Finals in Los Angeles, California. Everyone knew quarterback Nico Iamaleava would have the starting job in 2024 and beyond, so not many paid attention to Merklinger or any other rostered quarterback last season.

However, word out of spring camp is that he turns heads daily in practice. Volunteer Country's Caleb Sisk was on hand at Saturday's practice and wrote that Merklinger, "was hitting most of his targets where he needed to, and that's what matters most." It's true that timing and precision are everything in Heupel's system, and it often takes young signal callers time to learn its intricacies.

Merklinger assessed his own play at the beginning of spring camp, noting that he's, "definitely throwing the ball further. When I got here I had a little bit of struggle. I changed my grip a couple of times which was definitely different. You throw the football the same way and you come in and change your grip. But it was for the good, the ball is definitely coming out of my hand better."

It's not uncommon for college coaches to hone young quarterbacks' mechanics during their true freshman seasons. 2025 Tennessee signee George MacIntyre is going through that process right now. However, not everyone takes it in stride, but Merklinger was determined to rise to the occasion and meet expectations.

"I was told to, and they are my coaches, but we agreed to it," Merklinger said. "It was definitely for the best. My accuracy has improved, and the main thing was getting more zip on the ball."