Five-star quarterback Jared Curtis ultimately flipped his commitment from the Georgia Bulldogs to the Vanderbilt Commodores. He had been committed to Kirby Smart’s program since May, and Georgia offensive coordinator Mike Bobo was even spotted attending one of his high school games this fall.
Curtis’ decision indicates that Vanderbilt is positioning itself to stay competitive once the current starting quarterback, Diego Pavia, moves on.
Jared Curtis Flip Rekindles Memories of Julian Lewis’ Recruitment Journey
Curtis is the No. 1 player nationally in the 247Sports composite, and he is now Vanderbilt’s highest-rated recruit in program history. His path mirrors parts of Colorado quarterback Julian Lewis’ recruitment.
Julian Lewis was a five-star quarterback in the 2025 class and had long been pledged to Lincoln Riley’s USC Trojans. Shedeur Sanders made a strong push to recruit Curtis as his eventual replacement in Boulder. Lewis ultimately backed off his USC commitment on Nov. 17, 2024, after being committed for more than a year. He then committed to Deion Sanders and Colorado on Nov. 21, 2024.
Likewise, while Curtis was still on board with Georgia, Pavia actively recruited him. Pavia openly urged Curtis to “stay here in Nashville” during media appearances and labeled Curtis “the next big thing” for the program. Pavia even showed up at one of Curtis’ high school games.
Though Lewis’ story resembles Curtis’ situation, here is a quick dose of reality for the newest Vanderbilt commit. Lewis was initially viewed as the instant starter for Colorado once Shedeur left for the NFL. However, Coach Prime leaned on other choices, such as transfer QB Kaidon Salter. Lewis didn’t secure the starting spot until near the end of the season and eventually redshirted.
With Pavia set to move on after this season, Curtis has a clearer avenue to early playing time, and many already see him as Vanderbilt’s QB1 in 2026. However, if the Commodores also add a transfer quarterback to increase competition, Curtis could find himself in a scenario similar to Lewis’s freshman season.
However, let’s just be optimistic about Curtis’ arrival at Vanderbilt, as the future looks bright for the Commodores. After flipping to Vanderbilt, Curtis shared a statement outlining his decision.
“Being here in Nashville and seeing what Vandy has been doing this season has been amazing and over the past few weeks, I felt more and more that I wanna be a part of that, to be close to home, to play in front of my family and friends and to be what I love to be, an underdog,” Curtis wrote in a statement. “I am excited to be a Dore and excited to be part of building something here at home with Coach (Clark) Lea.”
Curtis is a dual-threat quarterback from Nashville Christian School in West Nashville. With his pledge, Vanderbilt’s 2026 class now includes 20 commitments and ranks No. 31 nationally, according to On3/Rivals.
Vanderbilt is 10-2 this season and ranks No. 15 in the PFSN College Football Playoff Ranking.
