Tennessee Vols head coach Josh Heupel met with reporters on Thursday afternoon, and he confirmed UT’s quarterback plan for the Music City Bowl matchup against the Illinois Fighting Illini.

The Vols will have just two scholarship quarterbacks for the game — senior Joey Aguilar and true freshman George MacIntyre — after news broke on Wednesday that redshirt freshman Jake Merklinger plans to enter the NCAA transfer portal when it opens on Jan. 2.

George MacIntyre will serve as Tennessee’s No. 2 quarterback in the Music City Bowl

Heupel told reporters on Thursday that MacIntyre, who attempted just nine passes in 2025, will serve as the backup to Aguilar against Illinois.

That news from Heupel indicates that Merklinger is leaving the team before the portal officially opens (which was expected).

It also indicates that Heupel isn’t considering taking the same quarterback approach he took in the Citrus Bowl against Iowa two years ago.

Joe Milton started every regular-season game at quarterback for the Vols in 2023, but he “opted out” of the game against Iowa, which paved the way for Nico Iamaleava to make his first career start.

That was an important game for Iamaleava as it gave him his first truly competitive live game reps at the collegiate level before taking over as the starter in 2024.

With Aguilar not expected to return in 2026 (the door hasn’t been completely closed, but it’s getting there), it would make some sense for Heupel to give MacIntyre the start against Illinois.

For one, those competitive game reps would be extremely important for MacIntyre’s development heading into his redshirt freshman season. Secondly, it would give the Vols some game film on MacIntyre, which would be beneficial during the offseason as the young quarterback continues to grow.

This season, the situation is slightly different from two years ago. For starters, Aguilar could still end up returning (which would probably be the best-case scenario for the Vols). Secondly, if Aguilar doesn’t return, it’s not a guarantee that MacIntyre will be the starter in 2026. Tennessee will likely target a quarterback via the transfer portal to provide at least some competition for MacIntyre and incoming true freshman Faizon Brandon.

It’ll be interesting to see how Heupel handles the quarterback position this offseason. For now, his plan is unclear. Of course, no plan is foolproof when it comes to player acquisition in college football these days. Coaching staffs can do everything right in their pursuit of a player, offer the most money, and still swing and miss.

Tennessee Volunteers News

What Ryan Day said about the reports that Jim Knowles couldn’t get along with one of Ohio State’s longest tenured assistant coaches

There were rumblings that Jim Knowles and one of Ohio State’s most important assistant coaches didn’t get along in Columbus.

Zach Ragan