Tennessee Football: Who Will Backup Nico Iamaleava?

The Tennessee Volunteers are set to have a huge QB battle to determine the order of the QB room behind expected starter Nico Iamaleava

Although the starting QB spot is locked in as of now for the Tennessee Vols, the backup QB job seems to be often overlooked.

With Gaston Moore announcing his transfer from Tennessee back in December, two QBS are up for the position grab with the chance of backing up Nico Iamaleava and seeing the field if needed faster than the other.

The two options remain to be Jake Merklinger who will be entering his second season with the Vols and will be a redshirt freshman, and incoming four-star true freshman George MacIntyre.

Merklinger was the third-string QB last year and only completed a pass in two games. He finished the season throwing nine passes and having six competitions. He had 48 yards with no turnovers or touchdowns.

The 6-foot-3 215-pound QB was a four-star out of Calvary Day High School who fit the Tennessee offensive mold better than nearly any QB added through recruiting by Josh Heupel. His fast-paced play style leads many to believe that he would be able to spread the field well. A major part of the Tennessee offense is throwing the ball outside the numbers to a screen, this is something Merklinger does well as well as RPOs.

On the other side of things, you have a 6-foot-5 MacIntyre that brings a unique ark to the table. MacIntyre has an extremely talented arm and does well escaping the pocket when needed. At Brentwood Academy, MacIntyre was often under pressure and would be forced to climb the pocket and escape up the middle or to the outside. When rolling around the outside he would have the opportunity to throw on the run, this went well when his decision-making went well. Unfortunately, he would have to force plays which would set him back at times but that doesn’t take much away from the positives.

Fans will get to see this intense battle come spring during the spring game and practices. This will carry over through the summer and into fall when a decision will be made.

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