On Wednesday morning, Tennessee football formally welcomed four-star quarterback Jake Merklinger from Savannah, Georgia’s Calvary Day School to its 2024 recruiting class. On March 30, Merklinger chose the Vols over his other top choices, Georgia, Michigan State, and North Carolina.
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.
The 6-foot-3, 195-pound gunslinger made his way back to Tennessee in November to watch the Vols take on Georgia, the No. 1 team in the nation. It was his last game as a recruit at Neyland Stadium. He said he enjoyed the trip to Knoxville and 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 starting in January, according to GoVols247 recruiting analyst Ryan Callahan at the time.
“I’m super excited to get up here,” Merklinger said. “It was really exciting to be back up here, see a crazy atmosphere and just get back to Knoxville. It was a tough game. That’s a good team. Talking to the coaches, I believe in them. I think they’ll bounce back and we’ll be good.”
Merklinger said he’s still excited about the direction of Tennessee’s program and the chance to play in the Vols’ fast-paced offense.
“I feel good about it,” he said. “I think it’s a very similar offense to mine, so I think that’ll help me when I get here. I’m just excited to get here. Watching their offense, it’s always been fun, explosive, and I think they’re really good.”
Earlier this year, before making his college decision, Merklinger admitted he “was stressed, but now I’m not.” He said he knows he’s “coming to Tennessee,” and he has spent most of his time over the past few weeks focusing on his Calvary Day team’s playoff run.
