Tennessee rises in On3 Industry Team Recruiting Rankings

Last year, Tennessee landed one of the top quarterbacks in the country in Long Beach (Calif.) Warren five-star Nico Iamaleava. Now, another talented signal-caller is bound for Knoxville.

Savannah (Ga.) Calvary Day School four-star quarterback Jake Merklinger announced his commitment to the Volunteers on Thursday. His pledge elevated Tennessee’s 2024 recruiting class to No. 5 in the 2024 On3 Industry Team Recruiting Rankings.

The Volunteers’ group, which also ranks No. 4 in the SEC, climbed four spots from No. 9. Merklinger is the sixth player to choose head coach Josh Heupel and his staff this cycle.

Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy four-star tight end Jonathan Echols, Sardis (Miss.) North Panola four-star wide receiver JJ Harrell, Nashville (Tenn.) Lipscomb Academy four-star cornerback Kaleb Beasley, Cleveland (Tenn.) Bradley Central On3 four-star safety Marcus Goree and Chattanooga (Tenn.) McCallie School three-star defensive lineman Carson Gentle are the others. At the moment, Merklinger is the highest-rated prospect pledged to Tennessee.

Merklinger is the No. 66 overall prospect and No. 7 quarterback in the 2024 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He is also the No. 9 player in Georgia.

On3 rates the 6-foot-3, 195-pound signal-caller higher than other recruiting services, according to the Industry Comparison. Per the 2024 On300, he is the No. 6 quarterback in the country.

For more Tennessee recruiting intel, check out Volquest.

Tennessee is looking to pair Merklinger with top-tier wide receivers

During the 2022 season, Tennessee had one of the top offenses in college football. That success has paid dividends on the recruiting trail, since the Volunteers have commitments from Merklinger, the nation’s No. 18 wide receiver (Harrell) and the nation’s No. 7 tight end (Echols.)

Yet Heupel and Co. are still looking to land top offensive talent to pair with Merklinger on Saturdays in the future. One of Tennessee’s high-priority targets is Lilburn (Ga.) Parkview five-star wide receiver Mike Matthews.

“It has been going good with them,” Matthews told Matt Ray of Volquest on Feb. 26 about his relationship with Tennessee. “Before every basketball game, the whole staff hits me up and wishes me luck. I am always talking to Coach Heupel and Coach (Kelsey) Pope every day.”

The Volunteers are also heavily involved in the recruitment of Saint Louis (Mo.) St. Louis University four-star wide receiver Ryan Wingo, the No. 21 overall prospect in the On3 Industry Ranking. He told On3’s Chad Simmons on Jan. 9 that Tennessee “is one of my top schools for sure.”

“Whenever I go up there, I always feel like I’m family,” Wingo said. “The players up there, they welcome me in. So if I see a player, they always dap me up, that type of thing. The coaches just show a lot of love to me when I go up there (or) on the phone. So I think that’s what making me go back a lot.”