Vanderbilt Football's Fanbase Has Made Its Quarterback Decision. How Long Can Clark Lea Drown Out The Noise?
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NASHVILLE—On a Vanderbilt football night that felt too much like 2023, there were a few moments that had all the 2025 feels involved. All of those Saturday-night moments involved Jared Curtis.
Curtis didn’t do enough to change Clark Lea’s mind on Vanderbilt’s quarterback situation in the immediate aftermath of its season-opening win over Austin Peay, but Vanderbilt’s fanbase clearly doesn’t agree. They’ve made their minds up on what Vanderbilt’s best option at starting quarterback is in 2026, and they made Clark Lea aware of their opinions.
When Curtis entered the game, he was showered with the loudest cheers of the night and “we want Jared” chants. When he trucked a defender, FirstBank Stadium had a 2025-esque crowd pop. When Berlowitz made a mistake in the second half, a number of boos reigned down from the bleachers at FirstBank Stadium.
The court of public opinion had favored Curtis heavily leading into Saturday, but the crowd’s wholehearted support of him and disdain for the premise that Berlowitz was on the field was jarring nonetheless.
Vanderbilt’s fanbase planted its flag on Saturday. Jared Curtis is their quarterback, and they will not rest until he is its unquestioned starter.
They saw enough in Curtis’ nine passing attempts–seven of which he completed, for a total of 60 yards relative to Berlowitz’ 11-for-16 mark and 149 total yards–and three rushes to declare that Lea has entirely mismanaged his quarterback situation.
What does Lea say to that?
“I appreciate the passion, I appreciate the energy, the interest,” Lea said postgame. “I don’t ever put any energy into the external part of this. This is my job, my job is to best organize the team. I’m gonna do that to the best of my ability with the support of the coaching staff. I want our fans to show up, I want everyone to have opinions.”
Here’s what Lea really wanted to say. Vanderbilt’s coaching staff believes that its quarterback competition is in a stalemate. Lea wanted to have a full-time starter named by the end of Vanderbilt’s first fall-camp scrimmage, and he didn’t because neither quarterback was consistent enough–and Curtis, in particular, wasn’t. He knows that the public doesn’t understand why he won’t just start Curtis, but Vanderbilt’s coaching staff doesn’t think that Curtis has done enough.
They love the flashes and think Curtis is their quarterback of the future, but they think Berlowitz might give them the best chance to win football games right now. But, he can’t say that–not with the way Vanderbilt’s fanbase is right now. Vanderbilt’s coaching staff knows that if they go with Curtis, they can’t go back and will have to live with a plethora of mistakes. It feels as if they’re trying to wait for Curtis to win the job, but they haven’t seen a breakthrough worthy of awarding it to him.
But, Berlowitz clearly hasn’t won this job outright either. He was good on Saturday. He didn’t turn it over and made a few solid throws downfield. Saturday was an extension of fall camp in that way. Curtis had the better highlights, but also perhaps the worst decision of the day–this one he got away with because of his elite arm talent. Berlowitz managed the game, and that was about the extent of his showing.
Maybe that showed that it’s time to take the risk on Curtis, the fanbase says.
Jared Curtis enters the game to a huge ovation. pic.twitter.com/MgQuQZw0GS
— Joey Dwyer (@joey_dwy) September 6, 2026
Look at Vanderbilt’s offense with Berlowitz in the game relative to its offense with Curtis, they say. It’s far more dynamic with Curtis. It has a chance to do more than run a clock-control offense with Curtis. It has a chance to win games that it will be an underdog in with Curtis–and spoiler alert, that will be most of its games in 2026.
If it wasn’t clear before Saturday night, it’s clear coming out of it. The fanbase’s argument that Vanderbilt’s only real chance at being elite in 2026 is starting Curtis isn’t far off. Its only chance at being close to elite is probably starting Curtis. But, Lea and company don’t seem sold yet. He alluded to Vanderbilt’s offense being closer to its past identity with Berlowitz running it and the adjustment that Curtis is undergoing after playing high school football less than a year ago.
Remember all those standout plays Curtis made Saturday–the rocket he threw on his first play of the game, the run in which he lowered his shoulder and ran over a defender? They’re nowhere to be found on Vanderbilt’s social media accounts.
While the country raves about Vanderbilt’s NFL-like freshman quarterback, it appears hesitant to run the hype train. Don’t expect it to do that in week two against Delaware, either. Lea still doesn’t appear to want to commit to the idea that Curtis gives Vanderbilt the best chance to win right now.
Say what you will about Lea’s take, but he isn’t showing signs of deviating from it. Vanderbilt has privately indicated that Curtis is still its quarterback of the future and that it knows that starting him as soon as possible could be beneficial to it. But, they’re just not doing it.
That’s why a rare sellout crowd at FirstBank Stadium was restless in the midst of a Vanderbilt football win. They’re desperate and they’re already sick of a program that is giving off the appearance that it’s okay with riding out a largely limited offense rather than chasing its ceiling wholeheartedly.
They’re frustrated because they feel as if Lea isn’t best positioning his team–particularly while playing both quarterbacks. That won’t last forever, he says, but he’s still not willing to declare that Curtis is the guy.
“There’s going to be a point where it’s anti-strategic to play two quarterbacks,” Lea said. “I think both guys played well. They both had flashes. I also think that, you know, there's things for both of them to improve upon. And so we're gonna watch film and learn. I think it's great that Jared got his first game experience and that it wasn’t just one drive. I thought he was able to get out there and play a good amount of football and show some things that he can do, and then also kind of reinforce some things that he needs to work on. This is a different game. It's a different level than high school and. So I'm excited for him. Obviously, I thought Blaze was an absolute pro. It will go as long as we need it to, as long as we keep the mission in focus. And again, that's winning.”
You hear that?
It’s the sound of Berlowitz running off to boos and the FirstBank Stadium crowd erupting next Saturday afternoon when Curtis runs on the field. It’s inevitable. That’s not a question. The question is how long Lea can drown out the noise.
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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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