Could Vanderbilt Football Quarterback Blaze Berlowitz Still Help Vanderbilt in 2026? Why Clark Lea Says Yes
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NASHVILLE—If the reality didn’t set in for Vanderbilt quarterback Blaze Berlowitz as he stood quietly on the sideline in the second half of Vanderbilt’s win over Delaware, it has this week as he’s gone from getting what Clark Lea estimated as 60% of the first-team practice reps at quarterback to about 20%.
Vanderbilt is starting five-star freshman Jared Curtis over Berlowitz, is intent to not play two quarterbacks the rest of the way and appears to believe it’s Curtis’ job to lose after his breakout performance against Delaware.
So, what’s next for Berlowitz?
Curtis will be Vanderbilt’s starter, but Lea isn’t ruling out the idea that he will use Berlowitz at some point down the stretch of the 2026 season. If that happens--which he believes could happen as a result of Vanderbilt's past track record of having to use multiple quarterbacks and the way Curtis runs--he believes that Berlowitz can still give Vanderbilt a chance to win.
“We’re gonna need Blaze,” Lea said Thursday. “I have 100% confidence in Blaze.”
Berlowitz is in his third season as a Vanderbilt quarterback and his fourth season with Vanderbilt offensive coordinator Tim Beck and clearly knows Vanderbilt’s scheme inside and out. Curtis overtook him by pushing the ball down the field effectively and making Vanderbilt’s offense more dynamic on Saturday, though.
A Vanderbilt offense with Berlowitz doesn’t have near the same explosiveness that a Curtis-led one does, but Lea and company appear to believe Berlowitz is better than he showed while going 3-for-9 and failing to move the Vanderbilt offense outside of a two-minute drill against Delaware.
Even then, Berlowitz could only hold off Curtis for the first two weeks of the season. Now, he’s left to reconcile how he got here and how little he may see the field the rest of the way if Curtis is what Vanderbilt believes he is. This time a week ago, Berlowitz was Vanderbilt’s starting quarterback. Now, he’s decidedly its backup. But, the transition doesn’t appear to have broken him.
“I’ve been really impressed, this is challenging for him, too,” Lea said. “The way he’s handled himself is reflective of the kind of person that we want in our program. He’s been a great teammate. He’s felt it all the way through. Those who care much, feel much and I appreciate that about him. He’s stepped into his role and his responsibility and he’s done it like a pro. He’s prepared the same way he was a week ago and the same way he was against Austin Peay and when his number is called, he’ll be ready to answer the call and that will be inevitable as the year goes on.”
If Berlowitz ever has to find his way back into the lineup for this Vanderbilt team, he’ll be the beneficiary of making his first two college starts to open the 2026 season. Berlowitz had more experience in Vanderbilt’s system than any of its other quarterbacks, but he’d been subjected to a backup role behind Diego Pavia for the entirety of his college career. Berlowitz proved to be more of a bridge quarterback between Pavia and Curtis than a future of the program type player, but he could help it down the line if Curtis has to miss time.
Lea felt that Berlowitz gave Vanderbilt the best chance to get organized against Austin Peay and Delaware, and the fumble that all but cost Berlowitz the starting job doesn’t appear to have changed his mind about his veteran backup.
"Obviously also just in total support of Blaze Berlowitz,” Lea said. “This guy is been an incredible leader for us and such a tough individual and someone I have a ton of respect for and obviously anytime you're dealing with the quarterback position in particular making a change that way, we are we're full in support of Jared, but we're also full in support of Blaze.”
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Joey Dwyer is the lead writer on Vanderbilt Commodores On SI. He found his first love in college sports at nearby Lipscomb University and decided to make a career of telling its best stories. He got his start doing a Notre Dame basketball podcast from his basement as a 14-year-old during COVID and has since aimed to make that 14-year-old proud. Dwyer has covered Vanderbilt sports for three years and previously worked for 247 Sports and Rivals. He contributes to Seth Davis' Hoops HQ, Basket Under Review and Mainstreet Nashville.
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