Vanderbilt Lands 5-Star QB Jared Curtis Over Georgia, Citing Opportunity

It's not often that Vanderbilt goes toe-to-toe with Georgia in high-profile recruiting battles -- let alone wins those battles -- but that's exactly what happened last fall with five-star quarterback Jared Curtis .

According to 247Sports, Curtis was the No. 2 overall player in the 2026 recruiting class , and the Nashville native projects as a future first-round pick with a comparison to Jay Cutler in his 247Sports scouting report. He's the type of player Georgia is used to targeting and signing.

That's why it came as something of a surprise when Vanderbilt made a late push and convinced Curtis to remain in Nashville instead of playing his college football in Athens.

So, why will Curtis -- who has played the fourth-most snaps of all freshmen this season -- be suiting up for the Commodores instead of the Bulldogs this weekend when the two teams meet Between the Hedges? Was it the money or the opportunity to cameo in comedian Nate Bargatze's feature film? We spoke with 247Sports national recruiting analyst Tom Loy and Dawgs247 recruiting analyst Benjamin Wolk to get more insight into how Vanderbilt beat out Georgia for one of the top quarterbacks in the country.

Late comeback by Vanderbilt

To give you a sense for how much ground Vanderbilt had to cover, the first time Curtis committed to Georgia was just months after Dylan Raiola made his late flip from the Bulldogs to Nebraska as a member of the 2024 signing class.

"Jared was their guy at quarterback from the very, very beginning," Wolk said.

As a result, Kirby Smart and his coaching staff never got too far down the road with other quarterbacks in the 2026 cycle because they were so locked in on signing Curtis.

That meant Vanderbilt needed a fourth-quarter comeback just to have a shot with the blue-chip prospect. The Commodores didn't really get their foot in the door with Curtis and his camp until last fall -- over a year after the young quarterback's initial commitment to the Bulldogs.

"It was pretty late," Loy said. "It was definitely in the fall of his senior season of when things really started to heat up. He started to really connect with the Vanderbilt coaching staff and kind of buy into the vision of Clark Lea and the current staff there in Nashville."

The Commodores, in the midst of one of the best seasons in program history, could easily sell the vision. The Vanderbilt players also played a role in Curtis' recuitment, and one of the best ambassadors happened to be the man Curtis replaced. Diego Pavia was key in selling Curtis on Vanderbilt, and in doing so, he provided the Commodores with on more big win on his way out the door.

"I think the big tipping point for him really was getting around Diego Pavia and kind of understanding why he was so happy and how it kind of really changed his life for the positive," Loy said.

As Curtis' interest in Vanderbilt grew, he started visiting the program more often, especially since he went to high school in the same city. That's when the antennae started to raise in Athens.

"As he randomly started showing up at Vanderbilt more and more regularly, I think is when the surprise factor started to come up," Wolk said.

By the time decision day came, Georgia had accepted that it was a "coin flip," per Wolk. On Dec. 2, Curtis officially announced his flip from Georgia to Vanderbilt, though it wasn't an easy switch to make. Curtis' family made it no secret that their preference was Georgia.

"He was torn," Loy said. "It was a very tough decision on him and his family. They were never shy about it, but his family wanted him at Georgia. His mom, Barbara, she definitely wanted him at Georgia and was never afraid to say that publicly or privately."

Ultimately, Clark Lea and his Vanderbilt coaching staff got the deal done. Once the Commodores decided to pursue Curtis, they made sure not to waste a single moment.

"It was really the connection with the coaching staff," Loy said. "They were relentless and stayed on him."

'This decision wasn't money-driven'

In the modern world of college football, the default assumption is that the Commodores found a way to throw a bigger bag at Curtis than the Bulldogs. After all, Curtis did wind up on the silver screen, landing a brief speaking role in Bargatze's "The Breadwinner."

The real motivating factors behind Curtis' decision were a little less glamorous -- and certainly not based around finances.

"This decision wasn't money-driven," Loy said. "... He genuinely left money on the table to pick Vanderbilt."

According to Loy, in the lead-up to his final decision, Curtis held a family meeting that included everyone in his advisement team (yes, that's how 5-star QBs roll in this era of college football). Curtis laid out his reasons for choosing Vanderbilt, and the ability to compete for the starting job immediately was at the top of his list.

"I believe it was genuinely the opportunity that he would be the guy in Year 1," Loy said.

Being buried further down the depth chart in Athens, along with the distractions that could bring, wasn't something Curtis desired. Instead, he wanted to be locked in on football and academics from the jump.

"I just think Curtis picked Vandy for the right reasons, for the mature reasons," Loy added.

Another factor in Curtis' unorthodox selection was location. As a Nashville native, Curtis could have played at bigger football factories in high school, but he chose to remain at Nashville Christian Academy. Likewise, when the opportunity to become an SEC superstar in his hometown present itself, it was too good to pass up.

"He was a Nashville guy, and I think as he got closer to his college career starting, the idea of being the guy in Nashville was an appealing opportunity for him," Wolk said. "And it's hard to think he didn't make the right decision when you look at the fact that he's already starting and playing at a high level in the SEC."

It's a decision that may pay dividends for both parties in the coming years, but it also left Georgia in the quarterback lurch, a familiar position for that program.

The fallout for Georgia

Georgia's recent history with high-profile quarterback prospects certainly hasn't been boring. Curtis' flip was a near carbon copy of Railoa's last-minute decision to sign with Nebraska over Georgia, but that's far from the end of the Bulldogs' scar tissue.

Near misses on Trevor Lawrence and Caleb Williams. The brief tenures of JT Daniels and Justin Fields. You get the picture.

Despite those frustrating results, Smart said back in December he wasn't going to change the way he recruits the position. He'll just be more inclined to have backup plans.

"I don't think that changes how you recruit," Smart said. "I think you still recruit the same way you recruit. You just make sure you have a plan in place if it happens."

Wolk echoed that sentiment, noting that the coaching staff has already turned its attention to the 2028 signing class, since it's likely too late for a 2027 pivot. The Bulldogs have a commitment from four-star quarterback Jayden Wade as they look for their elusive superstar prospect behind center.

"It changed the quarterback schedule for Georgia in terms of when it was trying to get the elite quarterback," Wolk said. "Because of how it unfolded with Jared, it's kind of still on that search theoretically with Jayden Wade in the 2028 recruiting class."

There is an interesting dichotomy in Athens when it comes to the quarterback position. Despite the recruiting roller coasters, the actual play on the field is as steady as anywhere in the country with no major drop-offs from one year to the next.

"There always seems to be chaos around the way that they're recruiting it," Wolk said. "... Georgia has gone through all these iterations of crazy quarterback things happening, but they always seem to have pretty consistent quarterback play."

If anyone team is equipped to weather a few misses on the recruiting trail, it's the Bulldogs. Former walk-on Stetson Bennett IV is a two-time national champion, and Gunner Stockton is one of the SEC's most efficient quarterbacks through one month.

Georgia always seems to get the most out of its quarterback, no matter what his recruiting pedigree looks like.

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_Originally reported by [CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/how-vanderbilt-flipped-jared-curtis-from-georgia/)._