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Tennessee Football posts practice highlight but blurs out QB who threw INT

Grant Grubbs Profile Pictureby: Grant Grubbs08/03/25grant_grubbs_
Tennessee Football posts practice highlight but blurs out QB who threw INT
Photo via @Vol_Football | X

Tennessee is doing what it can to prevent its quarterbacks from taking criticism before the season even begins. On Sunday, the football team’s official X account posted a video of defensive back Colton Hood intercepting a pass at practice.

However, when eagle-eyed fans attempted to slow down the video to see who threw the pass, they noticed that Tennessee’s media team had blurred out the quarterback responsible. Tennessee is still in the midst of a quarterback competition for the starting spot and it appears the program doesn’t want any unrequested outside feedback.

It’s currently a three-man race for Tennessee’s QB1 title. Joey Aguilar is reportedly the frontrunner. He transferred to Tennessee this offseason from UCLA after former Tennessee QB Nico Iamaleava joined the Bruins, essentially completing a college football trade.

Aguilar has more experience than any of his competition for the position. He spent two seasons as Appalachian State’s starting quarterback before transferring to UCLA. In the 2024 campaign, he tallied 3,003 passing yards and 23 touchdowns, compared to 14 interceptions.

Redshirt freshman Jake Merklinger is widely considered the greatest threat to Aguilar securing the QB1 title. Merklinger was a four-star prospect in the 2024 recruiting cycle and had a solid showing in Tennessee’s spring game.

While he lacks game experience, he’s had more time than Aguilar to soak in Tennessee’s offensive schemes. True freshman George MacIntyre is the final quarterback in the hunt for the Volunteers’ starting slot behind center.

He was the No. 15 quarterback in the 2025 recruiting cycle, but is considered the least likely to land the coveted starting spot. Last week, Volunteers head coach Josh Heupel emphasized the importance of being on the same page as his quarterbacks.

“The communication side of it, it impacts it a great deal,” Heupel said. “… When they got back in the summer, they understood this isn’t something that’s going to be decided in June. It’s not going to be decided in July. Got to go earn it and take it during the course of training camp.

“Everything that you do is a part of who you are as a player, but also how you’re impacting and ultimately making the 10 guys around you better too. As we go through training camp, those conversations will be had with, collectively, the group as well, so that they can see that it’s transparent, it’s real, and there’s no misinformation.”

On Aug. 30, Tennessee will kick off its 2025 campaign with a showdown against Syracuse at noon ET. The game will air live on ABC.