The Tennessee Volunteers’ offense suffered a major setback when quarterback Nico Iamaleava entered the transfer portal over an alleged contract dispute with the Vols.
Iamaleava was one of the top quarterbacks in the country in 2024, throwing for 2,616 yards and 19 touchdowns for Tennessee last season. With Nico out the door, these are the quarterbacks Tennessee can turn to as their starter in 2025.
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Joey Aguilar (Senior)
Joey Aguilar transferred to UCLA from Appalachian State in December 2024. After UCLA picked up Iamaleava, Aguilar was forced to hit the portal again and, funnily enough, ended up at Tennessee.
Aguilar was one of the best quarterbacks in the spring portal window. Last season, he threw for 3,003 yards and 23 touchdowns for App State. However, he did have a turnover problem, throwing 14 picks. While he isn’t the best replacement for Iamaleava, he’s as good as the Vols could do on such short notice, and will likely be the starter in 2025.
Jake Merklinger (RS Freshman)
Jake Merklinger could potentially be the Vols’ starter in 2025, depending on how his fall goes. He was a four-star recruit in the Vols’ 2024 recruiting class and was the 13th-best quarterback and 212th overall player according to 247Sports.
Merklinger has only thrown nine passes in college, completing six of them for 48 yards. While he doesn’t have on-field experience, he has spent over a year learning head coach Josh Heupel’s offense. If he continues to develop, I wouldn’t be surprised if, come August, he’s the Vols starter.
George MacIntyre (Freshman)
George MacIntyre committed to the Vols as a member of their 2025 recruiting class. I don’t think he’ll be the starter as he’s only a true freshman, but with such limited options, it’s not out of the question.
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MacIntyre is a four-star recruit and ranked as 247Sports’ 9th-best quarterback in the 2025 class. Again, he’s fresh out of high school, and I don’t think he’s pretty ready to be the starter, but worst case scenario, I think he’s an acceptable option for the Vols.
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