Tennessee insider makes prediction as to who will be Vols' starting QB for season opener against Syracuse
The Tennessee Volunteers have a bona fide quarterback battle taking place in August for the first time in years. Between newcomer Joey Aguilar, redshirt freshman Jake Merklinger, and true freshman George MacIntyre, someone will be taking their first snap as the starting quarterback for the Vols on Saturday, August 30 against Syracuse in Atlanta. Who […]
The Tennessee Volunteers have a bona fide quarterback battle taking place in August for the first time in years. Between newcomer Joey Aguilar, redshirt freshman Jake Merklinger, and true freshman George MacIntyre, someone will be taking their first snap as the starting quarterback for the Vols on Saturday, August 30 against Syracuse in Atlanta.
Who will that be? VolQuest's Brent Hubbs joined On3 Sports' Andy Staples and answered the latter's question on the topic. Hubbs feels Aguilar's experience will win out in the QB competition and allow the former Appalachian State starter to get the nod.
"I think it's going to be Joey Aguilar," Hubbs said. "I do. And my reasoning for that is Joey Aguilar has been on the field and has played – he's played college football. I think there's something to be said for having experience, and I think when you have youth up front, I think he's got a little bit of a gunslinger mentality. He can run a little bit. I think he can probably play a little fast – maybe too fast at times – but I think he can tuck and run and help himself that way.
"I just feel like because of the experience on his resume, it's going to be Joey Aguilar to take the first snap and play that opener. If he doesn't play effectively, we'll see. But again, if somebody is clearly the best quarterback in fall camp, man, you've got to play that guy or your locker room has got issues because kids know who the best player is. They know who the best player is. And if you don't play the most effective player – it's not a popularity contest. We can talk about NIL and kids are selfish and they're just – they want to win, and they want to be on the field with the best players."
It's hard to argue that Aguilar's experience doesn't give him an edge. He has two full years under his belt dealing with, and making plays against, college-level athletes and defenses.
As Hubbs also notes, Aguilar has a couple of aspects working in his favor. He's a gunslinger that can help yield impact plays – as well as negative ones. But he showed good escapeability as the Mountaineers' QB, and that's an important asset to help avoid negative plays behind an offensive line that will be breaking in several new starters with John Campbell, Jr. Cooper Mays, Javontez Spraggins, and Andrej Karic all gone.
If either Merklinger or MacIntyre clear the trio on the practice field, then they will likely earn that nod, but for now, it seems as though Aguilar should be the odds-on favorite to trot out onto the field to start the 2025 season.
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