Oregon Ducks Battling Georgia, Alabama, Ohio State For 5-Star Quarterback Jared Curtis

EUGENE - The Oregon Ducks are continuing to establish themselves as a top destination for the nation’s best quarterbacks. Oregon has had back-to-back Heisman finalists in Bo Nix and Dillon Gabriel, with younger talents such as UCLA transfer Dante Moore and sophomore Austin Novosad waiting for an opportunity.
In the 2025 recruiting class, Oregon landed one of the best quarterback prospects in the nation in Akili Smith Jr. Now, the Ducks are looking to repeat that success with their Class of 2026. Oregon is making a strong push for 2026 five-star quarterback Jared Curtis.
Curtis, a 6-4, 225-pound play-caller out of Nashville, Tennessee, is the nation’s No. 4 overall prospect in the 2026 cycle according to the On3 Industry Ranking. He is also the No. 1 quarterback in his class and the top-ranked recruit in the state of Tennessee.
Curtis was previously committed to Georgia, initially committing to the program on March 23. However, he decommitted on October 17, reopening his recruitment and giving Oregon another opportunity to secure his commitment.
“That morning, I called coach (Mike) Bobo, coach (Kirby) Smart… told them about the news. Of course, they took it how I expected they would, no hard feelings,” Curtis told On3 about his decommitment. “Obviously, they’re not out of the race yet, you know, love them guys, and I’d love to get back up there and talk to them. But you know, I just wanted to visit other places and not be committed, so that’s what I’m going to do, and still keeping Georgia in the way.”
Curtis revealed to On3’s Chad Simmons that, other than Georgia, which is still in the running for the young quarterback, there are multiple other schools that have caught his interest—one of which is Oregon.
On3’s @SWiltfong_ has the latest on 2026 No. 1 QB Jared Curtis as coaches visit the 5-star👀
— On3 Recruits (@On3Recruits) January 8, 2025
Intel: https://t.co/1OxBkrzNYC pic.twitter.com/ZXNaMZJwlG
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“I have it narrowed down to some schools, but I’d say we have taken it back to square one,” Curtis told Simmons. “South Carolina, Auburn, Georgia, Alabama, Oregon, USC, and Ohio State are the main ones right now.”
Oregon currently ranks No. 1 among all programs in 247Sports’ 2026 Recruit Team Rankings, with ten total commits (seven four-stars and three three-stars). Curtis has the chance to improve Oregon’s 2026 class even more by becoming the first five-star to commit in his class. According to On3, Curtis’ plan is to take his official visits before making his decision.
“I will wait until official visits to make my decision,” Curtis said. “I will get out more. When official visits open up, I will get down on some visits, see the school, and see what I like about it.
“The factors when I make a decision will be the coaching staff, my relationship with the coaching staff, and the class they bring in this year. Those, and the class I would bring in with me, would be the biggest things," said Curtis.
Following a successful 2024 season, Curtis was named Gatorade’s Tennessee Football Player of the Year. Curtis helped lead his team to a 13-1 record while also winning the state championship. During the season, he threw for 2,672 yards and 38 touchdowns, while also rushing for 577 yards and 14 more touchdowns.
Adding Curtis to Oregon’s 2026 class would further solidify the Ducks as one of the nation’s premier destinations for quarterbacks. His commitment would continue Oregon’s trend of attracting elite talent while simultaneously complementing a recruiting class already ranked No. 1 nationally.
Additionally, Curtis would join an Oregon quarterback room brimming with potential, including Dante Moore, who is already generating buzz as a possible Heisman finalist for the upcoming season. With Curtis in the fold, the Ducks would send yet another strong message that they are not only a playoff contender but also a quarterback factory for the future.
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