Wide open QB battle

[orangefreak21]

Merk will have a chance to win the job. It's up to him.

If Aguilar has any flash or moxie ab him I'm sure Heupel will start him.

 

[S.C. OrangeMan]

It sounds like Heupel is planning on having an open competition for QB this fall. Aguilar is not a given.

https://atozsports.com/nashville/volunteers/josh-heupel-confirms-tennessee-vols-quarterback-addition-ucla-transfer-joey-aguilar/

Good. We'll see what all three can do.

Regardless, we have depth at QB.

 

[njvols]

The raise Merklinger got and the fact he has a year in the system over Aguilar means it is by no means a formality.

Agree...am quite sure Aguilar wasn't promised anything but the opportunity to win the job. It's the way it has to be. But, Merk deal, to me, has to do more about risk mitigation and keeping options open, while also being in a bad leverage position with head count in the QB room. If Merk wins the job, good for him...same to be said about Aguilar...or Mac.

 

[livefaith]

You don’t know Heupel personally. So you don’t know it’s coachspeak.

Dude laid it out to perfection. I don't know Heupel either. It WILL be coach speak, rest assured. He didn't get to this point without learning coach speak.

 

[PEPPERJAX]

Welll…ummm…HELL YEAH!

 

[NCFisher]

It sounds like Heupel is planning on having an open competition for QB this fall. Aguilar is not a given.

https://atozsports.com/nashville/volunteers/josh-heupel-confirms-tennessee-vols-quarterback-addition-ucla-transfer-joey-aguilar/

Not sure why anyone would have assumed otherwise.

 

[Jaxon_Vol2017]

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I trust Heupel to make the right decision.
.

Like starting Milton over Hooker you mean? Coaches aren't always right

 

[volfan411]

I think it is funny the posters who have deemed JA the starter based off of film from App St are the same posters who have deemed Merk based off of video from him in the O/W game. The facts are neither have played a competitive down in the SEC and whoever starts the first game may not be the starter of the last game.

IMO Merk has the advantage being in the system longer but JA has the experience so he may win out in the fall. I do question how JA adjusts to the speed of SEC defenses but only time will tell.

 

[Brave Volunteer]

I wouldn't read too much into coachspeak.

Heupel can't come out and say "We picked up Joey because Merk isn't ready" nor can he say "Joey is just here as insurance."

In this situation really all he can say is "it's a wide open QB competition" even if he knows Joey or Merk or G-Mac is most likely his starter.

It's coachspeak.

I wouldn't even say that. Saying it's coachspeak would indicate that CJH has already picked the starter. I believe he's telling the truth in that they WILL have a QB competition during fall camp and the one who performs the best will win the job. Now, Huepel may already have an idea of who that's going to be, but he'll let the process play out.

 

[CINCYVOL]

The raise Merklinger got and the fact he has a year in the system over Aguilar means it is by no means a formality.

It means you can’t go into an SEC season with 2 QBs

 

[LegionnaireOfTheMiserable]

It means you can’t go into an SEC season with 2 QBs

If that’s all it means, why didn’t G Mac get a raise?

 

[UTFranklinVol]

Not sure why anyone would have assumed otherwise.

lots of people thinking Aguilar would be handed the starting job because Nico was supposed to start ahead of the other two anyways.

 

[Oldvoldad]

IMO its JAs job to lose, anything else is coach talk. He would have to come out and really lay and egg in Atlanta vs Syracuse.

Agree 100

 

[Oldvoldad]

If that’s all it means, why didn’t G Mac get a raise?

Maybe he was already getting paid more than Merk?

 

[Oldvoldad]

IMO its JAs job to lose, anything else is coach talk. He would have to come out and really lay and egg in Atlanta vs Syracuse.

" He's got the ability to push the ball down the field" That's all I needed to hear from coach to know who I expect to take the first snap vs Syracuse.

 

[LegionnaireOfTheMiserable]

Maybe he was already getting paid more than Merk?

If the raise is solely because we were bent over a barrel though, why wouldn’t he go back to get more?

 

[Tman44]

Regardless of how this ends up, Merk and GMAC are going to be better than if Benedict Nico had stayed. I am VERY pleased we have young men that want to be at Tennessee. I see all of this drama as a blessing in disguise.

 

[VolFanNC09]

I believe it will be open. For Merck it depends on how much he puts into this now and over the summer. He has the advantage of throwing with the receivers now and getting deeper in the playbook before Aguilar gets in town. If he wants to be the starter he will have to put in the work during the offseason.

 

[miket4god]

It is arguable that Joey Aguilar comes out smelling like a rose in this if he wins or loses the QB1 competition.

If he doesn't start, he collects his million and risks little injury.

He's not REALLY NFL material so he's not really losing anything there if he doesn't start.

If he does start, he gets his million and he's not had a lot of time to prepare so he can't really be blamed if he's not 100% efficient at the offense. If fans call for Merk after GA or whatever, he did his best. If he turns out to have a great year, he's a hero.

Don't discount the Josh Heupel factor here. Almost every single QB he has coached has had at least a cup of coffee in the NFL.
If he wins the QB1 job, he will at least get a look just because of the numbers he will put up.

 

[miket4god]

So far in his career he's a turnover machine. I'm not sold

Heupel will coach that out of him. None of his QB's have been turnover prone.

 

[HuntlandVolinColo]

Competition brings out the best in Athletes!

I'm not sure we will have that much of a drop off from losing Nico. He was a good QB but he often took to long to read the field and pull the trigger.

 

[OrangeBeachVol]

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I trust Heupel to make the right decision.
.

I have to say I can't agree with that. Not anti-Hype here but he didn't make the right decision between Milton and Hooker. You look at the best QB's at the 3 schools he has been HC or OC, Mizzou, UCF and TN, and all 3 of them he inherited when he arrived. Just saying for all the good things he does for some reason QB evals have not been great.

 

[Gandalf]

You don’t know Heupel personally. So you don’t know it’s coachspeak.

He is a coach, he is speaking = coachspeak

Its like asking how you know if a lawyer is lying = their lips are moving.

Anyone imagining that we plebs are going to get the actual truth about what he thinks at this very moment about the QB contest is living in fantasy.

Right now, it is JA's to lose or they wouldnt have went to go get him in the first place. The other two just likely arent ready (though they might could step up in a pinch because of sheer talent) - but we sure dont want them going anywhere in the meantime = "an open QB competition"

 

[bpalmer28]

So far in his career he's a turnover machine. I'm not sold

True. HOWEVA....

In games where he's a attempted fewer than 30 passes, he has 22 TDs to just 3 INTs.

The overwhelming majority of his interceptions have come when Appalachian State had no run game and/or when they were playing from behind. He will have one of the best run games in the SEC at Tennessee. It could be a match made in heaven.

 

[Dudleys87]

If Merk comes in and drops dimes and Aguilar comes in to run a set package of plays I’m fine with it.