New school, new number, same question — and Jake Merklinger's early answer at UConn is No.160 4★, national recruit.
6′3″ · 215 lb · Savannah, GA · Calvary Day
The numbers
passing yards · 2025
2 TD · 0 INT · 7.2 per attempt
3 games into 2025 so far -- Best game: 118 pass yds, 2 TD, 17 rush yds, vs East Tennessee State
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Freshman quarterback for UConn. 2025: 3 games with a box-score line.
Jake Merklinger
Jake Merklinger arrives at UConn with a new fit to prove and an old chapter behind him.
4★ · NATIONAL RECRUIT
No.160
recruiting national rank
UConn fans keep putting his case on trial, week to week.
Minority viewA vocal minority sees it the other way.
AI-generated narrative · may contain errors · not journalism · updated 2026-09-16
His career
Career arc
Coaching lineage · 2024–2025
2 coachesCoaching transition mid-career: Jim Mora → Gordon Sammis. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
Where He Ended Up · Transfer
Transferred to UConn
Season context · Team result + system
2 seasons under Josh Heupel — 18-8 over that span.
Where this profile ranks vs the QB cohort
Box-score percentiles
Elite: interceptions (99th percentile). Concern: pass yards (0th percentile).
Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score rates.
Splits · Per-game
2025 season · 3 games
Home vs Road
| YDS/g | TD/g | YPA | INT/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home3g | 57.7 | 0.7 | 4.8 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| YDS/g | TD/g | YPA | INT/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-72g | 87.5 | 1.0 | 7.8 | 0.0 |
| Weeks 8+1g | -2.0 | 0.0 | -1.0 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Jason Candle
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Player standing · 2025
On the two-deep and pushing for snaps.
Signature plays · top plays by |EPA|
The plays that mattered most
Game log · Week-by-week
2025 season · 3 games
| Wk | Opp | CMP/ATT | YDS | TD | INT | YPA | QBR | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 2 | W 72-17vs East Tennessee State | 9/14 | 118 | 2 | 0 | 8.4 | 89.8 | Season-high 118 yds |
| Wk 4 | W 56-24vs UAB | 3/8 | 57 | 0 | 0 | 7.1 | 3.4 | |
| Wk 12 | W 42-9vs New Mexico State | 1/2 | -2 | 0 | 0 | -1.0 | 0.8 | |
| Total | 13/24 | 173 | 2 | 0 | 4.8 | 31.3 |
Prior to UConn: Merklinger spent two seasons at Tennessee. He played four games for the Volunteers in 2025 and completed 13 of 24 passes for 173 yards and two scores. He completed nine of 14 passes for 118 yards and two touchdowns against East Tennessee State. In 2024 he appeared in two games, pa...