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Jake Merklinger was already known as one of the top high school quarterbacks in Georgia heading into his junior year of high school. But Merklinger elevated his game in 2022 to become one of the country’s elite quarterback prospects. Merklinger was named the 2022 Offensive Player of the Year by the Savannah Quarterback Club. He threw for 1,987 yards with 32 touchdowns and just two interceptions and ran for 283 yards and four more scores to earn Region 3-3A Player of the Year honors. “He shows more and more maturity each week, stepping up in the pocket and holding himself in the pocket and rescanning the field,” Calvary Day School coach Mark Stroud said. “Once that first thing breaks down, he does really do a really good job of figuring out what’s next. He's improved every year and proven himself – and I think he's going to get better and better. He has all the physical skills, he's a tremendous competitor and leader – he’s got all the intangibles the best programs are looking for.” Merklinger’s older brother, Ryan, played football at Valparaiso.

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Tennessee Volunteers

Quarterback

Tennessee Volunteers head coach Josh Heupel had to pivot quickly this offseason at the quarterback position with the transfer of Nico Iamaleava. That

Tennessee Head Coach Josh Heupel looks on during defensive back drill

Tennessee Volunteers Football

Josh Heupel describes how his approach to quarterback changes with an open competition

Following a tumultuous offseason that saw returning starting QB Nico Iamaleava transfer to UCLA after a dispute over NIL compensation, Tennessee has

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Tennessee QB battle: Joey Halzle opens up on what he needs to see from starter

With Nico Iamaleava's unexpected departure this offseason, Tennessee's starting quarterback spot is wide open. On Tuesday, Tennessee head coach Josh

Tennessee Volunteers Head Coach Josh Heupel via Matt Ray/On3

Tennessee QB battle: Josh Heupel updates timeline on process

Training camp is underway across college football, and all eyes will be on the quarterback battles being held across the country. The 2025 season

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On3 Football

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Tennessee has a quarterback conversation that sounds a lot different today than it did two months ago before the transfer story began regarding QB

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Predicting who will start at QB for Tennessee in season opener vs. Syracuse

Quarterback Jake Merklinger has inked a new contract with Tennessee ahead of the 2025 season, sources tell On3. The former four-star recruit's new

QB Jake Merklinger inks new contract with Tennessee

When Ari Wasserman and I released our rankings of the top 10 quarterbacks in college football a few weeks ago, I realized we’d left a group

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Ten new QB1s who could be massive stars in 2025

Urban Meyer only said what every sitting college football coach is thinking right now.  “Here’s the reality: Tennessee is screwed,” the former Utah,

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Urban Meyer nailed the inconvenient truth about the Tennessee-Nico Iamaleava divorce

Tennessee wasn't expecting to reassess where they are at quarterback at this time last week. However, with the exit of Nico Iamaleava, the Volunteers

Tennessee QBs Jake Merklinger, George MacIntyre

Paul Finebaum evaluates chances Tennessee stands pat with current quarterback room

Tennessee QBs Jake Merklinger and George MacIntyre have been thrust into the spotlight the past few days with the departure of Nico Iamaleava. That

Josh Heupel reacts to spring game performance of Jake Merklinger, George MacIntyre

During a rather lengthy and newsworthy press conference following Saturday's Orange-White Spring game, Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel was candid

(Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images) Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel during a college football game between Tennessee and UTEP at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn., Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024.

Josh Heupel

Josh Heupel addresses Tennessee transfer portal plans at QB, upcoming competition

Nico Iamaleava's departure from the Tennessee football program leaves the Volunteers to fill a sizeable void under center. Having led Tennessee to

Nico Iamaleava, Tennessee Football | Tennessee Athletics

Paul Finebaum reacts to Nico Iamaleava leaving Tennessee, impact on Vols' 2025 outlook

Tennessee quarterback Jake Merklinger finds his game in a very different place this spring compared to last.   Mentally his game is very different

Tennessee freshman quarterback Jake Merklinger let's it rip during Tennessee spring practice. Credit: Volquest

Volquest Football

New grip, better grasp gives Tennessee's Merklinger more confidence

When it comes to pure high school quarterback recruiting, there isn’t a program doing it better over these last four cycles than Tennessee.  The Vols

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Tennessee Volunteers Football Recruiting

No program recruiting high school quarterbacks better than Josh Heupel and Tennessee

With the 2024 college football season just a couple of months away, Phil Steele has released a list of the top 25 freshman quarterbacks. The list is

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Phil Steele: Top 25 Freshman Quarterback Rankings ahead of 2024 college football season

Tennessee's 2024 high school recruiting class finished with 21 total commitments, including two five stars and ten total players ranked inside of

Jake Merklinger - Tennessee

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The top quarterback prospects in the 2024 cycle have put pen to paper as the book closes on this recruiting class, signing letters of intent with

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Tennessee landed their quarterback for the 2024 recruiting class -- and for the second-straight year, Josh Heupel believes he's landed a star in

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Tennessee introduced 27 players to their 2024 class on Wednesday, including four-star Calvary Day School (Ga.) standout quarterback Jake Merklinger.

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The Tennessee football program will undergo a significant change this offseason following the departure of veteran Joe Milton, with backup Nico

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Long-time 2024 Tennessee quarterback commitment Jake Merklinger made his way to campus over the weekend to get his career as Vol started. Now that

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QB Jake Merklinger signs letter of intent to Tennessee

Tennessee quarterback commitment Jake Merklinger returned to Knoxville for the final time as a recruit earlier this month. Following the visit for

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The book on the high school regular season has closed, and top recruits around the country are marching their teams through the postseason. All 17

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Rivals Football Recruiting

Quarterbacks in the updated 2024 On300 rankings

Back at the end of March, Jake Merklinger committed to Tennessee over Michigan State and North Carolina. The four-star quarterback out of Savannah

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4-star QB Jake Merklinger is excited about the future as a Tennessee Vol

When it comes to player rankings and long-term projections, the senior season is typically the most telling evaluation point for high