Nakos reporting Aguilar is trending to be named the starter

#26
#26
I truly think you have to value game experience when you have it. If Merk who has been here 2 falls now, and GMac who has been here since December can't show enough to pull away from a guy who has been here since June or July, you have to go with the experience.

And that isn't to say that JA is gonna be a world beater. But at least he has been under the lights before and played P4 competition. And even if all things are equal, that counts for something. If we are having to start a true or redshift freshman over a guy with 6,000 yards the past two years, id be concerned.

That being said, next year's competition between GMac, Merk, and Brandon is going to be a really good one. I think it'll be truly wide open.
 
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#28
#28
I truly think you have to value game experience when you have it. If Mark who has been here 2 falls now, and GMac who has been here since December can't show enough to pull away from a guy who has been here since June or July, you have to go with the experience.

And that isn't to say that JA is gonna be a world beater. But at least he has been under the lights before and played P4 competition. And even if all things are equal, that counts for something. If we are having to start a true or redshift freshman over a guy with 6,000 yards the past two years, id be concerned.

That being said, next year's competition between GMac, Merk, and Brandon is going to be a really good one. I think it'll be truly wide open.
If Merk doesn't start this year for TN, there will be no next year for him here
 
#29
#29
I truly think you have to value game experience when you have it. If Mark who has been here 2 falls now, and GMac who has been here since December can't show enough to pull away from a guy who has been here since June or July, you have to go with the experience.

And that isn't to say that JA is gonna be a world beater. But at least he has been under the lights before and played P4 competition. And even if all things are equal, that counts for something. If we are having to start a true or redshift freshman over a guy with 6,000 yards the past two years, id be concerned.

That being said, next year's competition between GMac, Merk, and Brandon is going to be a really good one. I think it'll be truly wide open.
Unfortunately, whichever Merk or G-Mac, possibly both, who loses that QB competition likely leaves.

What would you do if true freshman Brandon beat you for QB1 and you were Merk or G-Mac?

What would you do if Merk wins QB1 and you know Brandon is on your heels and you're G-Mac or vice versa with Brandon being on Merk's heels?
 
#41
#41
Are you really asking that? We're comparing who was better in practice, Hooker or Milton, my point was, Hooker was the better player, thats it
Milton was better in practice at UT by everyone's word who actually saw practice.

You and I are basing our view of QBs on minutes of film not even dedicated to just watching the QBs. C'mon. What we think is irrelevant to what is actually being shown in practice.

Unless you're out there for the whole practice or have access to the film of practice, you're basically making a blind choice.

Not to mention Josh Heupel who has ACTUALLY made a career of coaching and picking players. Is he perfect? No. Would I trust him more than me to know a QB? Uh, yes.
 
#42
#42
Milton was better in practice at UT by everyone's word who actually saw practice.

You and I are basing our view of QBs on minutes of film not even dedicated to just watching the QBs. C'mon. What we think is irrelevant to what is actually being shown in practice.

Unless you're out there for the whole practice or have access to the film of practice, you're basically making a blind choice.

Not to mention Josh Heupel who has ACTUALLY made a career of coaching and picking players. Is he perfect? No. Would I trust him more than me to know a QB? Uh, yes.

This has followed their NFL careers. Milton (with two different NFL teams) has wowed coaches and beat reporters, while Hooker has been (at best) mediocre with his practice time in Detroit.
 
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#43
#43
This has followed their NFL careers. Milton (with two different NFL teams) has wowed coaches and beat reporters, while Hooker has been (at best) mediocre with his practice time in Detroit.
I think Hooker is a good QB and I hope he finds a backup spot. He is a very dynamic and creative playmaker when he's on.

Milton is just a specimen and if he can adjust well enough to the pace of the NFL, he could have a great career in the NFL.

Both guys have a little age on them for needing to develop in the NFL. Younger guys are coming in all the time at about the same development level as Milton and Hooker and that's a downside for them.

Both also seem to be good men who've not let success make them into jackasses. In the end, that's the best thing about them.
 
#45
#45
Milton was better in practice at UT by everyone's word who actually saw practice.

You and I are basing our view of QBs on minutes of film not even dedicated to just watching the QBs. C'mon. What we think is irrelevant to what is actually being shown in practice.

Unless you're out there for the whole practice or have access to the film of practice, you're basically making a blind choice.

Not to mention Josh Heupel who has ACTUALLY made a career of coaching and picking players. Is he perfect? No. Would I trust him more than me to know a QB? Uh, yes.
Not gonna disagree.
Think about it, what do we gain by JA starting, his stats from App St are not that good, he hasn't shown anything in practice that stands out either. So, if him and Merk are even remotely close you play Merk. JA is gonna be gone after this year and if Merk isn't playing, he's gone. That leaves GMac and whatever transfer that comes in for next year. You know Heupel probably isn't playing Faizon as a freshman.
 
#47
#47
Not gonna disagree.
Think about it, what do we gain by JA starting, his stats from App St are not that good, he hasn't shown anything in practice that stands out either. So, if him and Merk are even remotely close you play Merk. JA is gonna be gone after this year and if Merk isn't playing, he's gone. That leaves GMac and whatever transfer that comes in for next year. You know Heupel probably isn't playing Faizon as a freshman.
We get experience from Joey A in game situations which matters. I'm not remarkably impressed by his film, honestly, but he has film.

Honestly, past HS we have almost ZERO film on G-Mac and Merk. We simply cannot know how they'll do in the college game.

IMO, either Merk or G-Mac is for sure gone next year, possibly both if Brandon turns out to be generational and that rare QB who can start as a freshman in the SEC.

If Brandon is even QB2 as a freshman in the Spring, QB3 is gone. If Brandon is pushing QB1 in the Spring, both may be gone. It's not an awful problem to have despite needing to get a backup QB or 2 ===IF=== Brandon is "that guy" as a young man.
 
#48
#48
Imagine starting the guy who earned in practice. Gamers fooled many a coach
Yeah, from what we're reading, neither are very good, so why go with a guy thats got 1 year and is playing catch up with the playback over someone who's been here for 2 years that probably knows it?
 
#50
#50
Not gonna disagree.
Think about it, what do we gain by JA starting, his stats from App St are not that good, he hasn't shown anything in practice that stands out either. So, if him and Merk are even remotely close you play Merk. JA is gonna be gone after this year and if Merk isn't playing, he's gone. That leaves GMac and whatever transfer that comes in for next year. You know Heupel probably isn't playing Faizon as a freshman.

- The difference between making the playoffs and not, potentially.

- If the staff had full confidence in Merk being the 2025 starter, they would not have brought in a guy with Aguilar's resume.

- His 2023 numbers at App State were very good.

- We see 15 minutes of practice a day from beat reporters against air. Trying to judge that is insanity.

- We have no clue if he will play Faizon or not.
 
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