Just when you think Tennessee football has a challenging quarterback situation, a glance at the 2025 schedule shows the Vols are not alone.
Granted, some UT opponents return starting quarterbacks: Mississippi State’s Blake Shapen, Arkansas’ Taylen Green, Florida’s DJ Lagway and Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia.
But Syracuse, Georgia, Kentucky, Oklahoma and Alabama have first-year starters at quarterback, and most are unproven. Notably, those five games could make or break the Vols’ season.
So while UT kicks off a competition between Joey Aguilar and Jake Merklinger, let’s look at the quarterback situations of these 2025 opponents.
Fortunately for Vols, Syracuse transfers aren’t Kyle McCord
Kyle McCord, who led the nation in passing last season for Syracuse, abandoned his pursuit of an eligibility waiver. Instead, he started his NFL career as a Philadelphia Eagles rookie.
That’s good news for the Vols, who will open the season against Syracuse on Aug. 30 (noon ET, ABC) in Atlanta.Either LSU transfer Rickie Collins or Notre Dame transfer Steve Angeli will start for the Orange. They lack McCord’s experience.
Collins is a dual-threat quarterback who can escape the pocket, but he’s never had to run from UT edge rusher Joshua Josephs and company. Collins threw only seven passes in two years at LSU.
Angeli is a pocket passer and more seasoned. He passed for 772 yards, 10 TDs and one interception in three seasons at Notre Dame. He was a backup to Sam Hartman and Riley Leonard and played well in his lone start in a Sun Bowl win over Oregon State.
Angeli feels like the frontrunner. But don’t be surprised if both play against UT.
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Publish date : 2025-05-28 09:06:00
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