Follows the ball and effortlessly gathers passes that escape his body. Despite his team’s offensive scheme, he did not generate flashy high school stats. However, he has been a big-play danger for a fantastic program and excels at many small tasks. Although he has played more solo and standing than hand down, he possesses the equipment and abilities to truly play any role in a range of sets.

Jake Merklinger a multi-talented young player makes his debute to Tennessee Vols this season and he promised to give in his best.

The industry-generated 247Sports Composite ranks Merklinger as the No. 129 overall prospect, No. 10 quarterback in the 2024 class, and No. 18 senior from the state of Georgia. Merklinger was one of the Vols’ top quarterback targets for months before they extended a scholarship offer in May of 2022. Additionally, 247Sports, which ranks him as the No. 221 overall athlete and No. 13 quarterback in the 2024 class, has given him a four-star prospect rating.

In November, after seeing the Vols take on Georgia, the nation’s top-ranked team, the 6-foot-3, 195-pound gunslinger made his way back to Tennessee to watch his final Neyland Stadium game as a recruit. He was excited to get an early start on his collegiate career by taking part in some of UT’s on-campus bowl practices this month before enrolling in January, he told recruiting analyst Ryan Callahan of GoVols247 at the time. He also expressed his enjoyment of going to Knoxville.

“I can’t wait to get up here,” Merklinger exclaimed. “Coming back to Knoxville and witnessing the insane atmosphere was truly exhilarating. It was an intense match. What a strong team that is. Speaking with the coaches, I think well of them. We’ll be fine, I believe, and they’ll recover.