FootballJuly 30, 2025
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The start of preseason camp officially got underway Wednesday as the 2025 Tennessee Volunteers hit the practice field for the first time this season on a hot and humid morning on Rocky Top.
Wednesday’s opening day of camp was a welcomed sight for everyone in the program as the excitement and urgency was ratcheted up a notch with the season opener just 31 days away.
Day one on the grass featured a lot of individual and group work as the team prepares for the rigors of another preseason training camp.
“Good first day, a bunch of individual and some group work focus,” head coach Josh Heupel said after Wednesday’s practice session. “The key to this whole thing is not making the same mistake twice and continuing to get better.”
Naturally, a lot of the talk during Heupel’s post-practice press conference was centered around the ongoing quarterback battle between redshirt freshman returner Jake Merklinger, senior transfer Joey Aguilar and true freshman George MacIntyre.
When asked what he’s looking to see from that group, Heupel laid out what he expects from his signal callers throughout the early portion of fall camp.
“Constant growth. Don’t make the same mistake twice and learn from the other guys that are at the position group,” Heupel said. “I think that is important for everybody no matter what position you are playing. There’s not enough reps for everybody to get every single look and every single install. You have to continue to learn from everything. That’s all on the field and then of course practice.”
