With two weeks until No. 24 Tennessee kicks off its season against Syracuse in Atlanta, coach Josh Heupel has yet to name a starting quarterback. If Saturday morning’s scrimmage in Neyland Stadium gave him any clarity, Heupel didn’t let it show while speaking with reporters afterward.
UCLA transfer Joey Aguilar, who started the last two seasons at Appalachian State, and redshirt freshman Jake Merklinger are the two main candidates for the Vols’ starting job with a recent training camp scrimmage in the books.
“I thought both of them handled themselves extremely well, (true freshman George MacIntyre) did as well,” Heupel said. “I thought they’ve taken strides over the last three practices before we got inside of the stadium for today’s scrimmage.
“We operated with crowd noise and some of those mechanics, so there was more on their plate. They handled it well. Been good decision-makers and have continued to grow, both in understanding what we’re doing, defensive structure and consistently being accurate with the football.”
When asked whether he sees any separation between Aguilar and Merklinger, Heupel deflected and said the team has faith in all three quarterbacks on the roster.
“This football believes in that group of guys too – who they are, how they lead and how they compete every single day,” Heupel said.
While Heupel remained tight-lipped on which quarterback has the inside track for the starting job, our own Matt Zenitz recently reported that Aguilar has the edge over Merklinger. Aguilar, who got a late start with the Vols after coming over in what amounted to a trade after Nico Iamaleava departed for UCLA, seems to be settling into Heupel’s offense.
“I thought he handled himself very well,” Heupel said of Aguilar. “That’s…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/tennessee-qb-battle-joey-aguilar-looks-extremely-comfortable-as-competition-continues-josh-heupel-explains/
Author : Austin Nivison
Publish date : 2025-08-15 18:27:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
