Why Former Tennessee QB Jake Merklinger Makes A Lot Of Sense For Virginia At Quarterback In 2026

This is an underrated pick, but it could make a lot of sense for Virginia.

Now stay with me on this one. Jake Merklinger hasn’t played a ton but he does at least have some collegiate experience coming over from Tennessee.

This past season with the Volunteers, he finished with 173 passing yards and two touchdowns. As 6’3 and 215 pounds, he has a strong arm and is a very decisive player. Prior to the 2025 football season, he was in a quarterback battle with Tennessee QB Joey Aguilar in fall camp before Aguilar was named the starter.

Merklinger finished with an 81.6 offensive grade and an 80.8 passing grade, per Pro Football Focus (PFF). His best game came against East Tennessee State. He threw for 118 passing yards and two touchdowns.

Coming out of high school, he was a four-star prospect and the No.13 QB. Now that he has entered his name into the portal, he is rated as a three-star prospect and an 86 overall rating according to 247Sports.

Let’s take a closer look at Merklinger and why he makes sense.

Why does it make sense?

latest — Tennessee quarterback Jake Merklinger (12) and Tennessee wide receiver Amari Jefferson (81) smile after a NCAA football game between Tennessee and UAB at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn., September 20, 2025. | Angelina Alcantar/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The big thing here is that Merklinger is hungry and would be a very cost-effective option. Merklinger is not going to cost the Cavaliers a lot of money and is not going to be extremely expensive. He is young and just played his redshirt-freshman season with the Volunteers. Virginia needs a quarterback to come in and compete and fulfil that role next year.

Merklinger would also give the Cavaliers a viable option for years to come. He is young and still has three years of eligibility left. He would fit the scheme and the system that Virginia has, which is well-balanced. He is a really good downfield thrower of the football and could help the Hoos hit on more explosive plays. It is a small sample size, but Merklinger was 3-4 on passes 20+ yards down the field. He also registered a 90.9 PFF grade on those throws. An underrated part that will help the Hoos is that he is excellent in the quick passing game. Merklinger was 6-8 on passes from 0-9 yards and registered an 83.4 grade on those throws.

When you break down his game even further, you see he is a quarterback who plays well when the pocket is clean and when he is not blitzed. When kept clean, he registers an 86.5 offensive grade. When he is not blitzed, he registers an 87.8 grade and completes 66.7% of his throws when he is not pressured.

Merklinger would be a good option for the Cavaliers to build around and be a quarterback of the future. He would be hungry to prove himself and fit into this offense, and make big plays. We saw last year that Virginia hit on Morris; if they were to land Merklinger, it would be another hit.

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