We are now getting into the swing of things at Tennessee football fall camp and some position battles are no question heating up. Obviously, the main battle people have been focusing on has been the one at quarterback between Joey Aguilar, Jake Merklinger and George MacIntyre.
Leading up to the first day of practice, plenty of people assumed that Aguilar was going to have the upper hand. It looks like that has been confirmed, as On3's Pete Nakos has reported that Aguilar has a bit of an 'edge' over Merklinger, who is also getting first-team reps. With the first scrimmage of the summer coming on Saturday, how the workload is split could be quite telling for what Josh Heupel has in mind moving forward:
EDGE: On3’s Pete Nakos is reporting that Tennessee QB Joey Aguilar has the edge in the quarterback battle:
— FOX Sports Knoxville (@FOXSportsKnox) August 8, 2025
Jake Merklinger and Aguilar have both taken reps with the first team.
Tennessee scrimmages in Neyland Stadium tomorrow morning.#ForTheFans pic.twitter.com/apdm5eytTs
Joey Aguilar reportedly has the upper hand on Jake Merklinger in the Tennessee QB battle
With Nico Iamaleava leaving for UCLA, it has changed everything on offense for the Vols. Who will start Week 1 vs. Syracuse is a bit up in the air, but the latest update from Nakos gives us a feeling that Aguilar is going to be the one who is handed the keys to the offense.
This was our prediction leading up to camp too, as the veteran signal-caller started back-to-back seasons at App State, tossing for more than 3,000 yards in both campaigns. His 14 interceptions last fall were a bit concerning, but this is something Heupel and Co. will work to clean up.
This race isn't over yet, though. It wasn't long ago that Merklinger signed with the Vols as a 4-star quarterback. He also has a strong right arm and he won't go down without a fight. Again, how things are split up at Neyland Stadium on Saturday could give everyone a big hint of which player Heupel and the staff are leaning towards.
Aguilar plays the game without fear and he has already won over a large portion of the fanbase because of how grateful he is to be in Knoxville. Aguilar is hoping Year 1 in the SEC will be one to remember for him and the stars appear to be aligning for him to take over as the offensive leader for the Vols in what should be a big 2025.