For the second straight season, the Tennessee Volunteers know who their starting quarterback will be. We take a look at the depth chart entering the 2025 offseason.
There are no questions about who will be the Tennessee Volunteers starting quarterback in 2025. QB, Nico Iamaleava is currently has the 3rd highest odds to win the Heisman Trophy, according to FanDuel. At +1100, only Arch Manning and Garrett Nussmeier have higher odds.
Tennessee Volunteers Depth Chart – QB Room Behind Nico
Departures: Gaston Moore, Transfer Portal
QB1: Nico Iamaleava
Nico enters the 2025 season with plenty of reasons for optimism. In his first year as a starter, he led the Volunteers to the CFP and protected the football, throwing just 5 INTs. Iamaleava will need to continue to improve his deep passing accuracy along with the offense as a whole taking another step forward. Iamaleava was sacked (30) times in 2024, the 11th worst in the conference.
QB2: Jake Merklinger
With the transfer of Gaston Moore, Merklinger is the expected backup entering the fall of 2025. At 6’3, 205 pounds, Merklinger is much more of a pocket passer than the athlete that Iamaleava is. The former 4-star prospect excelled as an accurate passer at Calvary Day in Savannah, Georgia in high school. Merklinger played in two games in 2024, completing 6 of 9 attempts for (48) yards.
Most are expecting big things from 2025 signee, George MacIntyre. MacIntyre was at one point the No. 9th ranked player in the country and after an injury-laden senior season, MacIntyre fell all the way to the 185th overall prospect according to 247sports. He’s immensely talented at 6’6, 200 pounds.
