Why Clark Lea Chose Blaze Berlowitz as the Starting Quarterback for Week 1

NASHVILLE – Yes, that is correct. Blaze Berlowitz is going to be the starting quarterback for Vanderbilt football on Sept. 5 against Austin Peay.

The senior that sat behind Diego Pavia has paid his dues and will get the nod at the starting position for the Commodores in Week 1. To many, it came as a surprise to varying extents depending on who you ask.

At first, it seemed close to automatic that five-star true freshman Jared Curtis would bring the future of the program to the present in early September. But that will have to be put on hold for at least the first week of the college football schedule.

Curtis will have his snaps against Austin Peay as indicated by Vanderbilt football head coach Clark Lea in Thursday’s press conference. For now, though, Berlowitz is the starting quarterback for Vanderbilt. While Lea did not commit to Berlowitz being the primary guy in the quarterback room for the whole season, Berlowitz will be the one taking the first snaps to begin the 2026 season.

Lea elaborated to the media about his decision to start Berlowitz at quarterback against Austin Peay.

“He’s earned the right to do that. I think he’s had a consistent camp and Jared’s earned the right to play. We feel like just to get rhythm and chemistry going offensively, Blaze will give us a chance to do that. And we’ll have an opportunity to insert Jared in the game to give him his first college experience,” Lea said.

It is understandable based on Lea’s reasoning as to why Berlowitz will begin the season as the starting quarterback. After all, Berlowitz has been learning the playbook and understanding the offense under offensive coordinator Tim Beck for quite a long time now.

By now Berlowitz should be able to execute any and every play in the Commodores’ offensive playbook. And that helped him win the job to begin the season.

Lea pointed to Berlowitz’ confidence in running the offense as well as the way Berlowitz handles himself in huddles, as veterans like Berlowitz should be. But perhaps most importantly what won Berlowitz the first nod was the consistency he showed during fall camp.

“I feel like throwing the ball, he’s been consistent. I think there are times where the ball goes up and it’s compromised and I want him to be super disciplined as we head into game week because we don’t need to press to make the big play,” Lea said. “Blaze has played as well as he’s played in the program from summer through training camp. I think that’s really important. He’s earned the right to be out there first.”

The conversations that led to making Berlowitz the Week 1 starter originated with Beck and quarterbacks coach Trenton Kirklin, which turned into a collaborative decision between Lea and those two.

Lea feels that both Berlowitz and Curtis handled the conversations and the decision for who will be starting well and has liked to see their responses in practice since the decision was made. In the end, it is Berlowitz who will get to start first.

It is important to note that Lea made sure to convey that Berlowitz is the starting quarterback for Week 1, not the starting quarterback for every game Vanderbilt plays this fall. The Commodores are taking a week-by-week approach for now, but that is always subject to change depending on how Berlowitz and Curtis develop.

Berlowitz’ improvement into this season and the way he played in fall camp has been recognized by Lea and his coaching staff. Berlowitz does deserve credit for winning the starting job to begin the season. The question that remains is how the quarterback shuffling pans out over time.

“The goal is we reward Blaze, we get the offense organized in game one and continue to develop Jared. That gives our team the best chance to evolve as we go. Our goal is to win every game. What that looks like two weeks from now, three weeks from now, a month from now, the best version of Vanderbilt football comes from both those guys being developed,” Lea said.

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