Just last week, with reports surfacing that Tennessee football quarterback George MacIntyre was already practicing with the third team this early into fall camp, we had an article go up about how Josh Heupel may be rigging the quarterback race. Given reports of what happened over the weekend, that now seems obvious.
According to multiple insiders, MacIntyre was the best performer for the Vols in their first fall camp scrimmage. However, Joey Aguilar took the bulk of the first team reps, and the race seems to be coming down to Aguilar and Jake Merklinger with Aguilar in the lead.
Merklinger can take a step back. Heupel isn’t going to give him the job either. There’s clear politicking going on in this race, and it has to do with how Heupel wants to position Tennessee football beyond this year. With Nico Iamaleava gone, he’s making it clear he doesn’t mind accepting a mulligan in 2025, and he knows Danny White will give it to him.
Next year, Faizon Brandon, a dual-threat five-star, will arrive on campus and be the most ready true freshman quarterback the Vols have had in a while. With Merklinger and MacIntyre still on campus, Heupel will want to have a wide open competition in the spring to be able to select his guy.
If MacIntyre or Merklinger start this year, then the competition is not wide open. How can Heupel justify either of them starting all seasona and then having to compete for the job next spring? It would wreck chemistry and could cloud the race for fans, players and coaches.
Say Heupel starts Merklinger this year. Well, then MacIntyre, who is only a year behind him, will transfer in the spring despite having a better future. If MacIntyre starts, though, Brandon, only a year behind him, is going to flip his commitment. See the problem? Heupel wants both as options next year.
This is why Heupel went out and got Aguilar from the UCLA Bruins in the first place after Iamaleava left. Last year’s Appalachian State Mountaineers starting quarterback is out of eligibiilty after this year, so there’s no long-term harm in naming him the starter just to keep the Vols afloat this season.
That’s exactly how Heupel wants to play it.
Maybe they go 9-3 with Merklinger, 10-2 with MacIntyre and only 8-4 with Aguilar. If they go 8-4, though, Heupel can fall back on the Iamaleava excuse and then sell a future with any of the other quarterbacks while having a fair competition next spring. Staying afloat is his only goal this year.
As a result, the suspense for the Tennessee football quarterback race is all an illusion. It’s safe to say Aguilar is going to win the job, regardless of whether or not he deserves it, and UT will go forward with him barring injury this season. It doesn’t matter what MacIntyre or Merklinger do in the preseason.
