Four downs with Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel at SEC Media Day

ATLANTA — There are offensive questions abound regarding the 2025 football team. It obviously starts at the quarterback position where transfer Joey Aguilar, redshirt freshman Jake Merklinger, and freshman George MacIntyre are set to compete when fall camp opens. 

For head coach Josh Heupel, the off-season is different when trying to get a new starter ready a season.

“We’ve been through it before,” Heupel said. “That’s here at Tennessee and different spots that I’ve been. At the end of the day, those guys got to continue to grow every single day. So being in the building, learning our offense, learning defensive structures, having an opportunity to go out on the field, work through it, grow every single day. They’ve done a great job in the weight room, but leadership, developing relationships with our guys, it’s constant growth for them. They’ve done a really good job in the meeting room being cohesive, caring about each other. I think that’s really important. Strength of one position can never just be one guy. As we’re getting to the backend of summer, certainly as we kick off training camp, those guys are going to have an opportunity to go compete and the best players are going to play.”

Jake Merklinger had 48 yards on 6 completions in 9 attempts last year. Aguilar who played the last two seasons at Appalachian State threw for over 7,000 yards but he hasn’t ran a team snap in Heupel’s offense.

As for Aguilar specifically, Heupel has liked his approach to things this summer.

“I think when you’re coming in, how you present yourself every single day that’s in the building and outside of it is going to be the perception, certainly early on, of how the players perceive you. And for him to come in, be about his work, continue to grow, like the first week he was here with all of our guys, offensive linemen, taking them out to dinner, those types of things, those are our little steps and developing a relationship with guys where you can eventually lead them. And all three of those guys, Merk (Jake Merklinger) and George (MacIntyre) have continued to do a great job of that as well. But certainly respect what Joey has done since he got here on campus.”

McCoy update

Cornerback Jermod McCoy is one of the SEC’s most talented returning corners, but there’s doubt about McCoy’s status to start the year as he recovers from a torn ACL he suffered back in January while training back home in Texas. 

McCoy said back in the spring that his rehab was going well and he was ahead of schedule. Tuesday in meeting with the local media in Atlanta, Heupel updated the status of his all conference corner. 

“I don’t (have a timebable),” Heupel said. “I think with the injury and his rehab process, it’s how he encounters the next phase and next stage as he continues to prepare himself and get ready to play. I saw him the other day as he’s going through his rehab. He looks really good, his movement skills are good. It’s a progression throughout the course of the end of the summer and through training camp. And we’ll figure that out as we get into the season. Keeping in mind, obviously, we want him, he’s a huge part of us defensively, but his short term and long term health as well.”

McCoy led the Vols with 4 interceptions and 9 PBU’s a year ago. In spring, Tennessee brought in transfer Colton Hood from Colorado who can play corner or nickel after starting at corner last season for the Buffaloes. 

Youth being served at receiver

With only seven scholarship receivers on the roster and four of them being first year players in the Tennessee system, there will be plenty of youth on the field at the wide out spot. Even returners Mike Matthews and Braylon Staley who are in year two in the program are extremely inexperienced. 

With a young group of receivers and inexperience at quarterback, there’s certainly challenges in the development of the passing game, but Heupel likes the growth he has seen from his receivers throughout the summer off-season. 

“Through our installs, understanding not just what we’re doing, but the why behind it,” Heupel said of his receivers growth. “Understanding defensive structures, continuing to grow in their fundamentals, in technique, developing rhythm and timing with the quarterbacks. And some of the freedom that we give those guys in man looks, zone looks. And just continuing to grow as a player. And their maturity has been really high. That freshman group as a whole, when they got here in January, as impressive a group as I’ve been around, the challenge for our young guys inside of our program is they don’t have time to be young. That’s been one of the messages throughout the course of the season. That’s for our staff, that’s for our leadership to take ownership inside of those position rooms and help those guys grow. Those young wide receivers that you’ve talked about have done a great job and anticipate them playing, but also playing at a really high level.”

Tennessee returning receivers recorded 42 receptions for 462 yards and 4 touchdowns. Chris Brazzell led the way with 29 catches for 333 yards and two scores. 

State of the game

College football has always been a game of constant change. These days there’s more change now off the field than there is on the field. With the arrival of revenue sharing, lawsuits, NIL deals being approved and unknowns with the transfer portal, it’s an ever changing world for head coaches. 

Heupel, who rarely gives an over arcing opinion on things, admitted there’s lots of challenges right now.

“Well, it provides great talking points and questions for you guys, right?” Heupel said.

“And they’ve been the same questions for the last couple of years. And I think everybody inside college football is hopeful for great, strong leadership that’s going to provide the path forward for us to have what is the greatest game, stay the greatest game, and continue to get better.”