The 6-3, 190-pound Merklinger, the fifth-best pocket passer in the 2024 cycle, also considered Georgia, North Carolina and Michigan State. He threw for 1,987 yards and 32 touchdowns for Calvary Baptist Day School (Georgia) as a junior in 2022 and would be the fourth ESPN 300 quarterback to sign with the Volunteers since 2016 (Jarrett Guarantano, 2016; Harrison Bailey, 2020 and Iamaleava, 2023).
He joins IMG Academy athlete Jonathan Echols (No. 6 overall) and Lipscomb Academy (Tennessee) cornerback Kaleb Beasley (No. 159 overall) as ESPN 300 prospects who have pledged to Tennessee for 2024.
