Merk is entering the portal

[YankeeVol]

We can agree on that. As long as they’re throwing TDs I don’t care who it is.

Oh, and btw, I'm pretty sure Nico (who was recruited by the staff), started an entire season...

I could be wrong though. But yea, this staff has never recruited and started a HS QB they recruited...

But please, tell us more....

 

[EastTNVol6240]

Oh, and btw, I'm pretty sure Nico (who was recruited by the staff), started an entire season...

I could be wrong though. But yea, this staff has never recruited and started a HS QB they recruited...

But please, tell us more....

Key word was developed. Some will argue with you but Nico was nearly terrible. Bottom tier SEC QB. Not even average. With a good QB that season hard telling how it turns out. Maybe OSU doesn’t kick our teeth in……as bad.

So sure, he recruited and started a QB. It wasn’t a good product. Maybe you should go search the threads of how touted nico was…. Annnnndddd another bust. VN had already won him a few nattys. Same as Faizon.

We’ve brought in elite QB talent, on paper, multiple times and done 0 with it. As said, I’m not placing blame, but the results haven’t been there. You can pretend we have QB whispering staff all you want, but we haven’t witnessed it yet from the ground up. But you obviously GAF.

 

[YankeeVol]

Key word was developed. Some will argue with you but Nico was nearly terrible. Bottom tier SEC QB. Not even average. With a good QB that season hard telling how it turns out. Maybe OSU doesn’t kick our teeth in……as bad.

So sure, he recruited and started a QB. It wasn’t a good product. Maybe you should go search the threads of how touted nico was…. Annnnndddd another bust. VN had already won him a few nattys. Same as Faizon.

We’ve brought in elite QB talent, on paper, multiple times and done 0 with it. As said, I’m not placing blame, but the results haven’t been there. You can pretend we have QB whispering staff all you want, but we haven’t witnessed it yet from the ground up. But you obviously GAF.

Nico was the only 5* (and not even on EPSN, 4* and 29th OVR). Merk was like 185, Gmac was like 109 IIRC, so not exactly "elite."

Nico was trash, and we won in spite of him.

I don't like this staff lol. Dude will never win anything that matters*.

*I hope I am wrong.

 

[EastTNVol6240]

Nico was the only 5* (and not even on EPSN, 4* and 29th OVR). Merk was like 185, Gmac was like 109 IIRC, so not exactly "elite."

Nico was trash, and we won in spite of him.

I don't like this staff lol. Dude will never win anything that matters*.

*I hope I am wrong.

Agree on all accounts. I hope they prove us wrong with faizon.

 

[BigBadVol]

I will always consider Merk a VFL and I will always pull for him.

 

[Jackcrevol]

I'm going to go out on a limb that CJH and the QB room are confident that JA will get another year and that it's best for Merk to move on if he wants playing time, otherwise he would've waited till Friday. The NCAA is supposed to respond to the lawsuit by this Friday. I understand entering the portal early to get a head start but right now there are a lot bigger names in there to be considered

you mean the porthole?

 

[sonofUT62]

Aguilar is done here. Fans need to accept this. There's no chance UT will wait to see if the courts rule in his favor. No offense, but I'm not sure why this is so hard to grasp.

Yes. Because of course it’s so easy to predict the direction that the AA and courts will go in. We all saw all of this coming.

 

[LittleVol]

Merk got worse after he got on campus.

Good luck to him

 

[VolRanch]

YOU HAVE SIDE TEAM? What the hell, how long has this been going on? Do you think she’s prettier?
lol

Actually grew up a Cincy fan. Still live in Ohio.
Played travel baseball and we were close to Knoxville so we checked out campus one summer. Fell in love with it, slowly started following UT, started with the baseball team ironically right before Senzel got there. Then he made me follow more closely, one thing led to another and boom since about 2018 I’ve been full blown Vols number 1. I really don’t know how but here we are lol

 

[MDsweetT]

Key word was developed. Some will argue with you but Nico was nearly terrible. Bottom tier SEC QB. Not even average. With a good QB that season hard telling how it turns out. Maybe OSU doesn’t kick our teeth in……as bad.

So sure, he recruited and started a QB. It wasn’t a good product. Maybe you should go search the threads of how touted nico was…. Annnnndddd another bust. VN had already won him a few nattys. Same as Faizon.

We’ve brought in elite QB talent, on paper, multiple times and done 0 with it. As said, I’m not placing blame, but the results haven’t been there. You can pretend we have QB whispering staff all you want, but we haven’t witnessed it yet from the ground up. But you obviously GAF.

If Nico had this year’s receivers, last year…I think the numbers look different. Our offense was better this season and that was despite losing D Samp. I’m not knocking Bru and but they aren’t better than Brazzell and Staley.

Also…which program has developed QBs you can say Lincoln Riley but he’s had worse defenses than Heupel. Oregon gets transfer QBs. Texas, you can say Arch but we'll see what he is next season.

Teams who win have experienced, veteran, transfer QBs (typically). The landscape is changing now and development of QBs isn’t as linear as it was before.

 

[WaywardVol]

Folks in here offering opinions about who will start between Faizon and Mac who were quite positive that Merklinger would beat out Joey. Sigh....

I think most folks believed a journeyman QB could couldn’t show up in May and function better in the offense than anyone else on campus. I don’t know if Merk just wasn’t that good, or if we have a problem developing QBs out of high school. Nico never looked like a 5-star. Merk was highly recruited and he Looked lost in the limited opportunities.

Joey functioned better in the offense with virtually no time to prepare. It’s not as if Heupel can take credit for developing him.

 

[EastTNVol6240]

If Nico had this year’s receivers, last year…I think the numbers look different. Our offense was better this season and that was despite losing D Samp. I’m not knocking Bru and but they aren’t better than Brazzell and Staley.

Also…which program has developed QBs you can say Lincoln Riley but he’s had worse defenses than Heupel. Oregon gets transfer QBs. Texas, you can say Arch but we'll see what he is next season.

Teams who win have experienced, veteran, transfer QBs (typically). The landscape is changing now and development of QBs isn’t as linear as it was before.

I don’t think so. Nico never had it between the ears. Couldn’t read, locked onto receivers, ran out of bounds at the end of games to give us 0 chance of winning. Had great physical gifts, but lacked the football brains. And Texas, Georgia off the top of my head. Sure there are many examples on either side.

I’m not saying others right or wrong. In the portal ERA, it just is what it is. But at some point it would be nice to see us get it right with one of these high level recruits at QB.

 

[Oldvoldad]

They were older guys when they arrived. Heupel's success with young guys is...... Nico?

Developing from scratch is the question and we don't have an answer yet about his success at UT.

I don't understand your HS QB obsession for Heupel. Look at all the recent successful teams with a transfer QB.

I would be searching the portal every year for a seasoned guy.

 

[GordonC]

Good luck Merk
Thanks for your time herruh

 

[BowlBrother85]

GA TECH , UGA or Clemson will take him.. Hyple has not developed a Freshman QB to start for the Vols since he became our coach. Mac might be the first but he want survive the SEC if he does not put on some weight.

Merklinger is athletic and should be a QB for a major school. QB’s have to transfer in to play at TN. This will hurt us recruiting at TN if some of the QB’s Hyple recruits don’t progress to starters.

Nico Iamaleava did progress to a starter for one season in 2024. You can make an argument that Iamaleava did not play, and became a team cancer, who was shown the door. That's not what you said, however. You said that "Hyple" has not developed a Freshman QB to start for the Vols since he became our coach. That is wrong.

 

[SayUWantAreVOLution]

I don't understand your HS QB obsession for Heupel. Look at all the recent successful teams with a transfer QB.

I would be searching the portal every year for a seasoned guy.

Well, we've recruited high profile QBs like we have recruited high profile WRs and linemen from HS.

Expecting development from QBs as we have with other HS recruits seems odd?

 

[Legion of Doom]

If we get the Cincy QB we are instantly a legitimate playoff contender but it seems like Texas Tech has that one pretty much locked up if he doesn't go the to NFL.

Not sure that is true. His parents live in Knoxville and he grew up a Vols fan.

 

[VolInNW]

We have recruited highly touted freshmen who have “failed to develop”

Sounds like late stage Fulmer all over again.

Passive and lazy. Too much of that and not enough Garner on this staff.

But as long as you’re Heupel’s buddy, all is well…….

The checks keep rolling in. Pay period after pay period. Heupel makes $350k every two weeks. Let that sink in.

 

[MDsweetT]

I don’t think so. Nico never had it between the ears. Couldn’t read, locked onto receivers, ran out of bounds at the end of games to give us 0 chance of winning. Had great physical gifts, but lacked the football brains. And Texas, Georgia off the top of my head. Sure there are many examples on either side.

I’m not saying others right or wrong. In the portal ERA, it just is what it is. But at some point it would be nice to see us get it right with one of these high level recruits at QB.

Oh for sure. Definitely would like for us to get it right. But Georgia’s best QB is Stafford…a future HOF’er. Stetson Bennett and Jake Fromm have done nothing in the pros and well see on Stockton. Texas, Ewers is getting his opportunity this week but even he transferred from Ohio State.

I really think Faizon is the guy to change our program trajectory. He has the tools but again, does he have it between the ears….only time will tell

 

[BowlBrother85]

Key word was developed. Some will argue with you but Nico was nearly terrible. Bottom tier SEC QB. Not even average. With a good QB that season hard telling how it turns out. Maybe OSU doesn’t kick our teeth in……as bad.

So sure, he recruited and started a QB. It wasn’t a good product. Maybe you should go search the threads of how touted nico was…. Annnnndddd another bust. VN had already won him a few nattys. Same as Faizon.

We’ve brought in elite QB talent, on paper, multiple times and done 0 with it. As said, I’m not placing blame, but the results haven’t been there. You can pretend we have QB whispering staff all you want, but we haven’t witnessed it yet from the ground up. But you obviously GAF.

Heupel and Golesh deserve some credit for the QB that Hendon Hooker became at Tennessee, because Hooker had shown no such potential at Virginia Tech. Hooker's improvement here was so dramatic that it might as well have been "from the ground up."

 

[vegasvolfan]

Seems like he has made it official.

Not a shocker.

 

[VolCalls]

I'm going to go out on a limb that CJH and the QB room are confident that JA will get another year and that it's best for Merk to move on if he wants playing time, otherwise he would've waited till Friday. The NCAA is supposed to respond to the lawsuit by this Friday. I understand entering the portal early to get a head start but right now there are a lot bigger names in there to be considered

As long as the portal continues to be what it is, it seems to me most programs are going that route when their starting QB runs out of eligibility - they go get a transfer who started elsewhere before deciding to leave for more money or a bigger stage.

Gone are the days of players coming in as freshmen and being developed to take over the QB job as sophomores or juniors at major schools. They’re leaving to go somewhere they can play immediately because after a season or two as a backup, they lose out on the opportunity to start b/c of a more experienced transfer.

 

[VolCalls]

If Nico had this year’s receivers, last year…I think the numbers look different. Our offense was better this season and that was despite losing D Samp. I’m not knocking Bru and but they aren’t better than Brazzell and Staley.

Also…which program has developed QBs you can say Lincoln Riley but he’s had worse defenses than Heupel. Oregon gets transfer QBs. Texas, you can say Arch but we'll see what he is next season.

Teams who win have experienced, veteran, transfer QBs (typically). The landscape is changing now and development of QBs isn’t as linear as it was before.

I posted before reading your post but yes - agree 100%. The landscape now is to go get an experienced transfer versus promoting last season’s backup. Those backups either accept their role for four years or transfer to a smaller program where they have a chance to play right away.

 

[Deebowbear]

I think most folks believed a journeyman QB could couldn’t show up in May and function better in the offense than anyone else on campus. I don’t know if Merk just wasn’t that good, or if we have a problem developing QBs out of high school. Nico never looked like a 5-star. Merk was highly recruited and he Looked lost in the limited opportunities.

Joey functioned better in the offense with virtually no time to prepare. It’s not as if Heupel can take credit for developing him.

Got to remember who the quarterback coach and OC is may be why ole Joey