Despite there being three games left in the season for Tennessee football, plenty of people are starting to turn the page to next year now that the College Football Playoff is out of reach. It's a bummer, but the 2025 campaign won't result in a second straight trip to the CFP.
CFP committee punishes Tennessee football after loss to Oklahoma
Because of that, some fans are wondering which guys will decide to enter the transfer portal once it opens up in January. There's been plenty of speculation about Boo Carter, but he's not the only one. In a recent radio spot, Tennessee insider Austin Price didn't hesitate in saying that Jake Merklinger could be out the door, with not many people thinking the young quarterback will be back in Knoxville in 2026:
"Most people don't believe that Jake Merklinger is going to be here past January."@AustinPriceless explained why it makes sense for George MacIntyre to be Tennessee's second QB vs New Mexico State — and why other young players need valuable in-game reps.
— Josh Ward (@Josh_Ward) November 6, 2025
🎥 via @JoshandSwain pic.twitter.com/o7CS9rwmvi
Jake Merklinger being on transfer watch isn't a big surprise for Tennessee football
"I would make the case that the second quarterback into the game (vs. New Mexico State) should be George MacIntyre," Price said on the Josh and Swain show. "Most people don't believe that Jake Merklinger is going to be here past January and if you deep down believe that - if you're Joey Halzle and Josh Heupel and you don't believe Merklinger is the guy or that he's going to be here in January, then I'm going to give those meaningful reps in a game to George MacIntyre."
For a lot of you reading this piece, it's not a big-time shock that Merklinger is going to be on 'transfer watch' moving forward. He signed with the Vols as a member of the 2024 class as a 4-star prospect and the No. 11 QB in the country per the 247Sports Composite.
With that said, next season will be his third at the college level and he's going to be eyeing serious playing time. When Nico Iamaleava left for UCLA, the door was open for Merklinger to grab the QB1 job, but Heupel brought in Joey Aguilar and the rest is history.
MacIntyre was also a 4-star signee for the Vols, putting the pen to paper as a member of the 2025 class. You could make the argument he looked better than Merklinger during spring ball and fall camp. Tennessee also has the nation's No. 1 QB on the way this winter in Faizon Brandon.
Brandon is very much considered the future on offense for the Vols, as he's got SEC playmaker written all over him. With Brandon coming to campus soon and MacIntyre also waiting in the wings, it could lead to Merklinger deciding he wants to continue his college career elsewhere. We won't know for sure until later this year, but this won't be a stunner at all if it happens.