Jake Merklinger
| No. 12 – Tennessee Volunteers | |
|---|---|
| Position | Quarterback |
| Class | Freshman |
| Personal information | |
| Born | August 31, 2005 Savannah, Georgia, U.S. |
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Weight | 215 lb (98 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Calvary Day School (Savannah, Georgia) |
| College |
|
| Stats at ESPN | |
Jacob Tyler Merklinger (born August 31, 2005) is an American college football quarterback for the Tennessee Volunteers.
Early life
Merklinger attended Calvary Day School. As a junior, he completed 67 percent of his passes for 1,987 yards, 32 touchdowns and two interceptions and rushed for 283 yards and four touchdowns.[1] As a senior, Merklinger threw for 3,028 yards and 38 touchdowns against two interceptions and added 439 yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground.[2] He finished his high school career with a 42–10 record, tallying 145 total touchdowns, amassing 113 through the air and 32 on the ground.[3]
Merklinger was rated as a four-star recruit and committed to play college football for the Tennessee Volunteers over offers from schools such as Georgia, Michigan State, and North Carolina.[4][5]
College career
As a freshman in 2024, Merklinger appeared in two games, where he completed six of nine pass attempts for 48 yards and rushed for 22 yards.[6]
Statistics
| Season | Team | Games | Passing | Rushing | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Record | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Y/A | TD | Int | Rtg | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | |||
| 2024 | Tennessee | 2 | 0 | — | 6 | 9 | 66.7 | 48 | 5.3 | 0 | 0 | 111.5 | 7 | 22 | 3.1 | 0 | |
| 2025 | Tennessee | 1 | 0 | — | 9 | 14 | 64.3 | 118 | 8.4 | 2 | 0 | 182.2 | 2 | 17 | 8.5 | 0 | |
| Career | 3 | 0 | 0–0 | 15 | 23 | 65.2 | 166 | 7.2 | 2 | 0 | 154.5 | 9 | 39 | 4.3 | 0 | ||
References
- ^ Sparks, Adam (March 20, 2023). "4-star quarterback Jake Merklinger commits to Tennessee football in 2024 class". Knoxville News Sentinel. Retrieved April 12, 2025.
- ^ Crowell, Evan (April 5, 2025). "Jake Merklinger Taking Strides In Year Two". Tennessee Volunteers on SI. SI.com. Retrieved April 12, 2025.
- ^ Paschall, David (March 28, 2024). "QB Jake Merklinger fitting in quickly with the Vols". Chattanooga Times Free Press. Retrieved April 12, 2025.
- ^ Baumgartner, Blake (March 30, 2023). "Four-star QB prospect Jake Merklinger commits to Tennessee". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 12, 2025.
- ^ Wilson, Mike (July 31, 2024). "Why Jake Merklinger could play as freshman quarterback for Tennessee football in 2024". Knoxville News Sentinel. Retrieved April 12, 2025.
- ^ Brown, Patrick (March 24, 2025). "Why there's a 'different feel' for QB Jake Merklinger in his second year at Tennessee". 247Sports. Retrieved April 12, 2025.