KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee football put the finishing touches on its 2025 spring with the Orange & White Game in front of 38,192 fans Saturday in Neyland Stadium.
The Volunteers began with individual and special teams work before going into scrimmage periods featuring both live tackling and thud.
With the departure of Nico Iamaleava, redshirt freshman Jake Merklinger and true freshman George MacIntyre take the reins of the quarterback room. The two combined for four touchdown passes, including three to true freshman tight end Jack Van Dorselaer.
“I thought they did a really good job today,” head coach Josh Heupel said. “There were a couple of checks that we can clean up, just on the operations side of it, and the ultimate check, but they moved the football, made plays. (I) thought they used their feet. Obviously, they weren’t live. They’re going to have to learn how to protect themselves out in space, but it was a great day for both of them as young players, being out in front of that crowd, having to be the guy and go operate.”
Saturday’s spring game saw multiple VFLs in attendance, including current NFL quarterbacks Hendon Hooker and Joshua Dobbs, Dallas Cowboys tight end Princeton Fant and College Football Hall of Famers Eric Berry and Al Wilson.
“This program has been around for a long time, with a lot of great coaches and a lot of great players that came before that laid the cornerstone pieces, the legacy, the tradition that is Tennessee Football,” said Heupel. “It’s going to be around a long time after I’m done and after they’re gone. That’s what’s special about being here is that there is a legacy and a tradition that is so rich and a logo that’s recognized not just across the nation but across the world.”
Tennessee opens the 2025 season in the Aflac Kickoff Game against Syracuse on Aug. 30 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
