Josh Heupel updates Tennessee Football’s quarterback competition after first scrimmage

Josh Heupel did his best Saturday morning to preview what Tennessee Football’s quarterbacks will be seeing a month from now — a game day at Neyland Stadium. That’s the kind of environment the head coach wanted to recreate as Joey Aguilar, Jake Merklinger and George MacIntyre continue to battle in the quarterback competition.

“We try to make practice like game day when we get into our team periods — how we function, operate, make it game-day like (with) officials, that type of thing,” Heupel said afterward. “But this is as close as you’re going to get.

“So them having to own it. Controlled situations, unique situations that come on just in the normal football flow. And the situations that we put them in. Four-minute (drill), coming out today. So football awareness and control and everything.”

Season Opener: Tennessee vs. Syracuse, August 30, Atlanta

Tennessee opens the regular season away from home, facing Syracuse on August 30 in the Aflac Kickoff Game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The Vols open the home schedule on September 6 against ETSU.

Heupel joked Saturday that he’s not ready to name a starting quarterback, adding that he would have to watch film from the scrimmage before even shifting practice reps based on what he saw.

“I don’t anticipate us dramatically changing the reps right now,” Heupel said.

For now, Aguilar, Merklinger and MacIntyre continue to split practice reps as fall camp continues, with Aguilar and Merklinger in a seemingly more steady rotation with the first and second teams.

Heupel said Saturday that there are areas the quarterbacks need to “clean up” following the first scrimmage.

“At this point in training camp,” he said, “you’re constantly growing and pushing to go master the details of the game. And that doesn’t just end during training camp. Good teams continue to get better throughout the course of the season.

“And these guys have had a good mindset, have grown each day. But we got a lot more that we got to get to before we get to kickoff.”

‘There’s still more for (Aguilar) within the structure and the details of it, but I like what he’s done’

Aguilar arrived at Tennessee in May and spent the summer learning Heupel’s offense. He transferred from UCLA after former Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava signed with the Bruins out of the NCAA Transfer Portal. 

Aguilar, a native of Antioch, Calif., had transferred from Appalachian State to UCLA in December, after throwing for 6,760 yards, 56 touchdowns and 24 interceptions over 25 games in two seasons at App State.

“With what we’re doing offensively in our installs,” Heupel said of Aguilar on Saturday, “from protections to run games, controlling it, and what he’s seen on the other side of the football, how multiple he’s been here in the early part of training camp, I really like overall what he’s done.

“There’s still more for him within the structure and the details of it, but I like what he’s done.”

Merklinger appeared in two games last season, completing 6 of 9 passes for 48 yards and running seven times for 22 yards. He was a four-star prospect in the 2024 recruiting class, ranked as the No. 12 quarterback nationally and the No. 23 overall prospect in the state of Georgia, out of Calvary Day School in Savannah. 

MacIntyre was a four-star prospect who was a headliner in Tennessee’s 2025 class, ranked as the No. 15 quarterback in the class and the No. 3 in-state prospect, out of Brentwood Academy.

“We challenged him post-spring ball in some of the areas that he had to grow,” Heupel said of MacIntyre, “some of that physical, some of that fundamental and technique. You’ve seen a lot of that growth from him, and you’ve seen his level of play be dramatically different than where we finished spring ball.

“And that’s from day one of training camp, he’s had good presence, good control of what we’re doing. There’s some areas that he’s going to have to continue growing, as all of our players have to do at this point, but I really like what George has done so far.”