Jake Merklinger

Jacob Tyler Merklinger (born August 31, 2005) is an American college football quarterback for the UConn Huskies. He played previously for the Tennessee Volunteers.

Early life 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. 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. 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.

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.

College career 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.

Statistics Season Team Games Passing Rushing 2024 Tennessee 2 0 — 6 9 66.7 48 5.3 0 0 111.5 7 22 3.1 0 2025 Tennessee 4 0 — 13 24 54.2 173 7.2 2 0 142.2 4 16 4.0 0 2026 UConn 0 0 — 0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0.0 0 Career 6 0 0–0 18 33 57.6 221 6.7 2 0 133.8 11 38 3.5 0