The Key To Jared Curtis Winning Vanderbilt Football's Starting Job? He Never Flinched

NASHVILLE—Clark Lea still remembers it vividly as he stands at the podium on this Tuesday afternoon. MK Young accelerated towards the left pylon and looked to get everything he could out of this run and as he did, Jared Curtis trailed him by a few yards and sprinted towards the action.

Curtis didn’t end the play by throwing a block, but he was clearly willing to if that’s what had to be done in order for Young to earn a few extra yards. Curtis running up to the second level and bracing to throw his body on the line was reminiscent of former Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia, and it indicated that Curtis may have some Pavia to him.

Pavia and Curtis are different in a lot of ways. Pavia is more brash and controversial while Curtis’ play has far overshadowed his personality. Pavia is a better on-field decision maker, but Curtis is more talented and appears to fit the NFL mold more than Pavia.

They appear to have a general fearlessness in common, though.

Vanderbilt suspected that was in there, but it learned it as Curtis architected a drive in which he scored his first career touchdown in Vanderbilt’s win over Delaware. The seven-play, 41-yard drive included two fumbles, two penalties–one of which was a delay of game on Curtis–and a sack, yet it ended in a touchdown. It was chaotic and could’ve ended in disaster. Yet, it didn’t.

“Jared just kept his composure, man,” Vanderbilt center Lyndon Cooper said. “He didn’t really fold. He didn’t blink. He didn’t get down on himself…He wanted Vanderbilt to win, so he found a way to win.”

Curtis finished the day with 210 passing yards on 22 attempts, 14 completions, two rushing touchdowns and zero turnovers. It was his first real sign of college football stardom and an indication that he’s a gamer rather than a developmental piece like he showed in practice settings.

Lea noticed early that Curtis’ best performances came in scrimmages and Vanderbilt's spring game rather than day-to-day practice settings. Curtis was on a relatively even playing field with Vanderbilt veteran Blaze Berlowitz in fall camp practices, but was clearly Vanderbilt’s best quarterback when the stakes were the highest. He was also the best version of himself.

That’s why he was never long for the bench. That’s why Vanderbilt was merely waiting for a showing like he had in the second half of its win against Delaware and was confident that it was coming.

“The thing about Jared is that he doesn’t shy away from any of that,” Lea said from the podium on Tuesday. “There’s no flinch in him. He’s going to step into the rush. He’s going to deliver the ball. He’s going to bet on himself. He’s going to bet on his teammates. Again, another thing that showed up on Saturday was his leadership ability from that position. I thought he galvanized the huddle.”

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Vanderbilt’s locker room was often hedging its bet in regard to discussing quarterbacks prior to Saturday night, but those days are over. Vanderbilt tight end Jayvontay Conner sung Curtis’ praises like no other Vanderbilt player has in his postgame press conference on Saturday and backed him on Instagram on Tuesday. Whenever Curtis found the end zone on Saturday, he was immediately swarmed by Vanderbilt’s other offensive personnel.

Curtis was a polarizing figure when he arrived on Vanderbilt’s campus in the spring and has been the subject of relentless pressure and expectation, but Vanderbilt’s veterans indicate that he hasn’t appeared to take on the weight of his circumstance. They got their proof of concept Tuesday when Lea stepped to the podium and named Curtis Vanderbilt’s starting quarterback.

This is Curtis’ team now, and it appears as if he’s running it with conviction.

“There’s no limit on what this kid is capable of,” Lea said.

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