| No. 12 – Tennessee Volunteers | |
|---|---|
| Position | Quarterback |
| Class |  |
| 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.
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]
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]
| 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 | ||