Takeaways on Vanderbilt Football's Quarterback Competition And More After Its Eighth Fall Camp Practice
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NASHVILLE—With Saturday's scrimmage looming, Vanderbilt moved to its indoor practice facility and took the field for a shorter Friday practice with an emphasis on live action.
Friday's practice provided an under the microscope at Vanderbilt's quarterback battle as Jared Curtis and Blaze Berlowitz each led Vanderbilt's offense in a multitude of periods.
Here's a few things that stood out from the practice.
Jared Curtis did some things that could show up on an NFL highlight reel
Curtis wasn’t perfect, but he did some things that would’ve shown up on ESPN after his draft selection had they happened in a game. Watching Curtis on Friday was like watching an NFL quarterback at times.
Friday wasn’t Curtis demonstrating that he was an NFL quarterback or even him winning the job, but it was him demonstrating why he was a five-star recruit that Vanderbilt moved Heaven and Earth to get. Curtis still looks like a freshman, but made some throws that no Vanderbilt quarterback in recent memory could’ve and did have a nice process of reading the field on a few plays. That's why he's pushing to be Vanderbilt's starting quarterback despite Berlowitz' leg up in experience.
Curtis also showed off his speed and elusiveness on Friday more than he has in any recent practice. It’s not as if Curtis is a burner, but he’s got lacrosse-style athleticism and could be a pain to get down in the open field.
But, Blaze Berlowitz is still here
Berlowitz was the better quarterback through the first half of Friday’s practice and didn’t make the bad throw that’s often plagued him. It appears as if Berlowitz is more consistently stacking solid-to-good days of practice than he has in any other camp setting, and Friday was an example.
The area in which Berlowitz appears to have grown the most is not forcing the ball down the field when it doesn’t have to be forced down the field. He’s going with the safe option and running the operation more than pushing for the big, contested play. And, that’s okay.
Berlowitz is starting to play more like a veteran these days than he has in previous camps, and that could help him come Sept. 5. The argument could logically be made that he’s had a better camp than Curtis.
How about Brycen Coleman?
There’s the moment everyone was waiting on.
Coleman has been a fall camp hero in the past, but had been somewhat quiet until he made the play of camp on Friday morning–one that was reminiscent of some of the standout grabs he made as a freshman.
Vanderbilt has three veteran receivers, but Coleman still has a chance to have a role of some sort as he moves from tight end. He’s competing with a number of Vanderbilt’s homegrown pieces in that room for time.
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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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