Volunteer Country

How Does The QB Depth Chart Change Following Tennessee Football's Spring Game

How does the Tennessee Volunteers QB depth chart change following the Orange and White game?
Caleb Sisk|
Tennessee quarterback George MacIntyre (15) attempts to run into the end zone for a touchdown during the Orange & White spring game in Neyland Stadium, Saturday, April 12, 2025.
Tennessee quarterback George MacIntyre (15) attempts to run into the end zone for a touchdown during the Orange & White spring game in Neyland Stadium, Saturday, April 12, 2025. | Caitie McMekin/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Tennessee Volunteers

How does the Tennessee Volunteers QB depth chart change following the Orange and White game?

The Tennessee Volunteers are thinner at the QB position than they would like, as they will now be without Nico Iamaleava, who has transferred away from Knoxville. The news came hours before the Orange and White game, which took place on April 12th.

The Tennessee Volunteers now have only two scholarship QBs. Those QBs are Jake Merklinger, who is in Knoxville for his second season, and George MacIntyre, who is a redshirt-freshman from Brentwood Academy.

Merklinger is extremely talented and has tons of potential, and was the expected frontrunner entering the game. He did a solid job, especially in the practice portion, but hit some turbulence in the game. MacIntyre had a great showing in the game and practice as he protected the ball very well and had many great throws. His deep balls were only catchable for the WR, which are throws that Tennessee will live and die by in the SEC.

MacIntyre could've solidified himself as the No. 1 guy, but the Spring game is so vanilla that you can't base your QB option off of it. At the end of the day, Tennessee will face many different schemes and elite defenses this season. You have to pick a guy who will give you the best opportunity against those teams, and you simply can't determine "your guy" off that alone.

What this did do though, was convince fans that there should be an open competition at QB. This will likely include another QB who will join the roster this Spring as the Vols will at least need another body in the QB room for comfort.

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Caleb Sisk
CALEB SISK

Caleb Sisk is a talented sports journalist from the state of Georgia. Originally from Chattanooga, Tennessee, Sisk's passion for sports grew. Bringing years of recruiting coverage experience, he has been named a National Recruiting Reporter and covers various college sites on the On SI network. He takes pride in covering recruiting and has been featured by numerous companies for his excellent coverage and knowledge. He has also spent time at other companies, including Rivals, where he covered the Tennessee Volunteers.

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