Vanderbilt Football is Putting the Full-Court Press on Five-Star Quarterback Jared Curtis
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NASHVILLE—-Tim and Maggie Corbin stood on the sideline at Nashville Christian School as the sun went down on Friday night and Jared Curtis propelled his school of 798 students—enrolled from K-12–to the state championship.
As the Corbin’s stood and observed in a move that indicated the magnitude of the player they watched, they saw Curtis put his shoulder into a defender on a 77-yard touchdown run and made the throws to further his case as the nation’s No. 1 quarterback. Curtis is transcendent enough a prospect that if he was a baseball recruit, the idea of him making it to campus would be entirely improbable if not impossible.
For most of Curtis’ recruitment, it appeared as if the same guiding principles applied to Vanderbilt. The Nashville Christian quarterback is the type of prospect that likely wouldn’t have picked up the phone when past Vanderbilt staffs—which were marred by their losing—would call. For so long, players like Curtis have been out of Vanderbilt’s league.
Not anymore, though.
— TOM’S TAKE —
— Tom Loy (@TomLoy247) November 22, 2025
I expect five-star quarterback Jared Curtis, a longtime Georgia commit, to eventually flip to Vanderbilt.
My thoughts on this, as well as those from @Andrew_Ivins, on what this would mean for the Commodores.
VIP Story: https://t.co/iEkjsK3K2A@247Sports pic.twitter.com/AiOf0ez2nl
Between the success Vanderbilt has had with current quarterback Diego Pavia, a beckoning from its fanbase, Curtis’ Nashville roots, Vanderbilt’s increased resources, the premise of immediate playing time and longstanding relationships with the Vanderbilt staff, Clark Lea and company have chipped away at flipping Curtis’ commitment from Georgia to Vanderbilt.
If Vanderbilt were to land Curtis—which appears to be a real possibility despite his public comments that indicate otherwise—he would immediately become the highest-rated recruit in program history. The Nashville Christian star is transcendent enough a star to capture the attention of Vanderbilt’s fanbase in the midst of its College Football Playoff push.
When the Commodores hosted College Gameday, two fans in the crowd prominently displayed signs that declared “We want Jared Curtis” and “Jared Curtis, stay home.” Later that day, a towel in the newly-renovated south end zone read “Hey Jared, who ya with?”
Vanderbilt fans continue to make their voice heard to five-star quarterback Jared Curtis. pic.twitter.com/IBZDo2ghCo
— Joey Dwyer (@joey_dwy) October 25, 2025
It’s a recruiting push of a magnitude that this fanbase hasn’t yet seen. It’s now spread to postgame press conferences and current players, too.
"I think Jared is the next big thing here, and so I hope to keep him here in Nashville," Pavia—who, like Corbin, has been seen in the stands at one of Curtis’ games—said. "I think he's a talent. When I watched him, his arm is crazy. Reminds me kind of (Patrick) Mahomes.”
Pavia prefaced his comments in an effort to make sure that current Vanderbilt backup Blaze Berlowitz wasn’t slighted, but if Vanderbilt is going to land Curtis it will likely be at the expense of Berlowitz’ starting job. If Curtis chooses Vanderbilt, it will likely be with the expectation that he will at least have a chance to take the first rep in week one. In that way, the Commodores have an advantage over Georgia as the Bulldogs will likely have a returning starting quarterback next season.
If Vanderbilt is to land Curtis, it will indicate that it’s got the infrastructure and resources to compete with just about anyone on the recruiting trail.
Vanderbilt’s pitch has appeared to land on softer ears these days as Curtis mulls over whether to flip his commitment before the opening of the early signing period on Dec. 4. The indication is that Curtis likes the idea of forging his own path by attending Vanderbilt and becoming a winner in his hometown rather than stepping into stardom at a traditional football power.
Curtis’ offer sheet included Alabama, LSU, Michigan, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Oregon, Penn State, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, USC, Colorado and seemingly every other power-five program in the country. 247 Sports has Curtis ranked as its No. 1 quarterback in the 2026 class as well as the No. 3 overall player. The Nashville Christian star went viral earlier in his recruitment as he was among the first prospects to be visited by North Carolina head coach Bill Belichick and had a rolodex of college football’s most prominent coaches not named Belichick in and out of his home.
It all comes down to Clark Lea’s Vanderbilt program and Kirby Smart’s Georgia program as Curtis gears up for his final decision. As absurd as it sounds, Vanderbilt has a chance, believes it has a chance and is considered by some to be the odds-on favorite in the recruitment.
Time to see if it can seal the deal.
_(1)-b3e453dfe426b2dd4b83a12540ebdb37.jpeg "Joey Dwyer")
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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