Tennessee football QB Jake Merklinger to enter transfer portal, per reports
Tennessee quarterback Jake Merklinger plans to enter the transfer portal, according to multiple reports.
On3.com and Rivals.com were the first to announce Merklinger’s decision. The transfer portal opens on January 2.
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No. 23 Tennessee (8-4) faces Illinois (8-4) in the Music City Bowl on Dec. 30 (5:30 p.m. ET, ESPN) in Nashville. But starter Joey Aguilar will play in the bowl game, so Merklinger shouldn’t be a factor.
Merklinger spent two seasons at Tennessee, but barely played and failed to win the starting job. He played in six games and completed 19 of 33 passes for 221 yards and two touchdowns.
In 2024, Merklinger was a third-year student when Nico Iamaleava started. In 2025, he competed for the starting job but lost to transfer Joey Aguilar.
At the end of the 2025 season, Merklinger was neck and neck with freshman George MacIntyre for the backup job. And it didn’t look like Merklinger would factor in the starting job in 2026.
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Merklinger, a Savannah, Georgia native, was a four-star recruit in the class of 2024. He has three seasons of eligibility remaining.
Adam Sparks is Tennessee’s football reporter. E-mail adam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing to knoxnews.com/subscribe.
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Jake Merklinger: Tennessee football QB to enter transfer portal, reports say
