Who wins the QB competion?

Who wins the QB competition?

  • Jake Merklinger

    Votes: 46 18.3%

  • George MacIntyre

    Votes: 6 2.4%

  • Joey Aguilar

    Votes: 206 82.1%
  • Total voters
    251
#3
#3
- I think JA got it and rightly so if he earns it.
- Tons of experience, and he is used to moving around and learning new systems.
- This will be the best coaching, facilites, teammates, and scheme he has ever played in.
- This is also the hardest competition.
 
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#5
#5
Aguilar starts but who knows if he keeps the spot the whole season.

Light analysis of his play from the past two years shows that he has some skill, but just like most QBs he is only as strong as his OL and WRs. Out of the three, Joey has way more experience as a starter and has seen P4 defenses before. That alone gives him a big leg up over the other two. However, I think his gunslinger instinct could get him in trouble if he goes off script and starts throwing picks. He had to do that so many times last year because his OL was nonexistant. He should have a better OL this year, but time will tell if they can hold up and keep him from having to play hero ball.

If he starts throwing too many interceptions then I think we see Merk come in and stay on a strict limited playbook. Gmac is just too frail to survive right now.
 
#8
#8
Man, I’ve got a worried feeling about this. After all, CJH picked Milton over Hooker and, further back, CJP wasted the season of that one time transfer.

I hope the one that really gives us the best chance to win starts and plays.

Saying all of that, would it be awesome if it’s one of the freshman and we have four years of winning like the old days?

Manning/Clausen/Ainge
 
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#9
#9
I voted Joey but could also see a situation where Heup wants to keep Merk happy and plays both some, at least early games or maybe depending on the opposing D or situation. I know that goes against the norm thinking but it could work if done right.
 
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#10
#10
OrangeBeachVol said:
I voted Joey but could also see a situation where Heup wants to keep Merk happy and plays both some, at least early games or maybe depending on the opposing D or situation. I know that goes against the norm thinking but it could work if done right.
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Yes it does kinda go against the norm but it would go a long way in keeping Merk around. Playing him in some early games would be wise IMHO.
 
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#12
#12
#1fulmerite said:
Man, I’ve got a worried feeling about this. After all, CJH picked Milton over Hooker and, further back, CJP wasted the season of that one time transfer.

I hope the one that really gives us the best chance to win starts and plays.

Saying all of that, would it be awesome if it’s one of the freshman and we have four years of winning like the old days?

Manning/Clausen/Ainge
Click to expand...
I will try to find the quotes or article I recently read but it repeated what had been out there about Hooker being a gamer and not a very good practice player. The yang to guarantano ying who was the opposite. People will find fault but you gotta go with who practices better for various reasons including team message of earning it in practice. The issue is you don’t know you have a gamer until they get a chance. Hooker also had a very questionable spring practice when he got here.
You may also recall the coaches watched him play intramural basketball and were amazed he looked like a different athlete and just played. They were able to talk to him about playing qb the same way he played basketball and from a mental aspect it clicked.
 
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#13
#13
If Heupel was comfortable with the two guys he had, he would not have gone out and basically recruited over them bringing in Aguilar. If Aguilar is not what CJH thinks he should be, he'll roll with what he has but if that turns out to be the case this season could get pretty doggone bumpy.
 
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#18
#18
Skooter said:
I will try to find the quotes or article I recently read but it repeated what had been out there about Hooker being a gamer and not a very good practice player. The yang to guarantano ying who was the opposite. People will find fault but you gotta go with who practices better for various reasons including team message of earning it in practice. The issue is you don’t know you have a gamer until they get a chance. Hooker also had a very questionable spring practice when he got here.
You may also recall the coaches watched him play intramural basketball and were amazed he looked like a different athlete and just played. They were able to talk to him about playing qb the same way he played basketball and from a mental aspect it clicked.
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I remember my college LB coach one Monday reviewing film after we got absolutely hammered the previous Saturday.

He screamed something to the effect, “none of you are game day player’s! I’ve seen game day players and you are not it”! Then he went into how we had practiced terribly the week before.

I had never heard of game day players before but, I understood what he was saying.

P.S. The coach had some other words in there that I’m not sure Freak would let me post.
 
#19
#19
Remy said:
If Heupel was comfortable with the two guys he had, he would not have gone out and basically recruited over them bringing in Aguilar. If Aguilar is not what CJH thinks he should be, he'll roll with what he has but if that turns out to be the case this season could get pretty doggone bumpy.
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He recruited over 2 highly rated QBs for a guy that didn't hold a single SEC offer out of HS? I'm not convinced. Obviously you have to sign someone because you can't start the season with 2 viable QBs. We'll see how it shakes out. I think JA has a leg up because of his experience, but I wouldn't be totally shocked if he gets beat out.
 
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#20
#20
#1fulmerite said:
I remember my college LB coach one Monday reviewing film after we got absolutely hammered the previous Saturday.

He screamed something to the effect, “none of you are game day player’s! I’ve seen game day players and you are not it”! Then he went into how we had practiced terribly the week before.

I had never heard of game day players before but, I understood what he was saying.

P.S. The coach had some other words in there that I’m not sure Freak would let me post.
Click to expand...
Another name for gamers. Known many of them across my career. They look completely unimpressive in practice, but once they set foot on the pitch it was like a light switched on. Give me those guys all day long.
 
#21
#21
The guy we bought in, he was given cool 1.5 million for a reason. Absolutely the wrong message for merk and mack. Roast away!!!! I'd be absolutely fine with one of our young guns slinging it!!!!
 
#23
#23
The obvious answer is Aguilar. But I think the timeline is too compressed for him to learn CJH's complicated O in such a short time.

Merk gets the nod Day 1, but Aguilar could be the man by mid-season. Or Merk kicks ass and stays the starter. I like his accuracy and lack of INTs.

The good news is we have the quarterback whisperer as Head Coach.
 
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#24
#24
I have no knowledge or insider information, but I'll answer the question. I think Agular is the starter game 1. Neither Merklinger or MacIntyre thought they had any chance of starting a few months ago. Aguilar has a lot of experience and seems to be a perfect fit for this offense. CJH wants to take shots downfield and needs a guy who can process quickly and stretch the field. Aguilar gives him that. There's going to be a much steeper learning curve with Merk and Mac. Not an ideal situation with all of the new pieces on offense.

I also wonder if Faizon Brandon factors into the decision on who to start this year. Ideally, I would like to see a 3-way QB competition next Spring. If Merklinger starts this year, it's going to be much harder for Brandon and Mac to compete for the job in 2026. And if Merklinger is that good, and wins the job, I'm okay with that. But at this stage in his career, there's no body of work to support that. With Aguilar, there is. At the end of the day, I think CJH rolls with whoever gives UT the best chance to win.
 
#25
#25
#1fulmerite said:
Man, I’ve got a worried feeling about this. After all, CJH picked Milton over Hooker and, further back, CJP wasted the season of that one time transfer.

I hope the one that really gives us the best chance to win starts and plays.

Saying all of that, would it be awesome if it’s one of the freshman and we have four years of winning like the old days?

Manning/Clausen/Ainge
Click to expand...
Heupel also quickly switched to Hooker. A lot of coaches would’ve put Milton back in once healthy, especially given he was hurt after a game and a half and he healed pretty quickly so Hooker hadn’t seen a ton of time yet if I recall correctly. Hooker was far from a sure thing when he was called off the bench. He even had a couple turnovers against Pitt. It’s easy to look back and say he was better but when all these decisions were made that wasn’t clear at all.
 
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