Vanderbilt thought they might have a shot. The five-star quarterback from Nashville Christian School had shown up to their practice on Wednesday and was planning to attend their game against Missouri on Saturday with College GameDay in town. Clark Lea and his staff have been working overtime to flip Jared Curtis from Georgia, and with the Commodores sitting at 6-1 and ranked No. 10 in the country. The pitch practically writes itself. 

Being the #1 quarterback in the country, per 247Sports, brings more suitors. But his agents quickly shut down any decommitment rumors. “Let’s be clear: Jared is a Bulldog. He is pumped to be a Bulldog,” Peter Webb told Steve Wiltfong in an interview this week. Webb has emphasized that Curtis is attending Vanderbilt’s game “as a fan” and that there’s nothing for anyone to get excited about regarding a potential flip. 

For Vanderbilt fans who were starting to dream about what landing a prospect of Jared Curtis’s caliber could mean, those words had to sting.​ After all, the 6-foot-4, 225-pound quarterback is the No. 4 recruit in the nation and the top prospect in Tennessee. In fact, Diego Pavia even showed up at one of Jared Curtis’s high school games earlier this month.

Vanderbilt has never signed a five-star quarterback in the modern recruiting era. And landing the nation’s No. 1 quarterback (that too, by poaching from Georgia) would’ve been the statement win that signals Commodores football has truly arrived.​ But that seems like a far-fetched dream as of now. Jared Curtis is as elite as they come in the 2026 recruiting class.

The hard truth is that the Commodores are fighting uphill against one of college football’s blue bloods. Georgia put together an NIL package reportedly over $750,000 in year one, though Webb made it clear money wasn’t the deciding factor. It was the relationships with coaches like Mike Bobo and Kirby Smart’s track record of developing quarterbacks and winning championships. 

But here’s the problem for Clark Lea. If Webb is telling the truth, Vanderbilt is wasting valuable time and resources chasing a recruit who’s never going to flip. The Commodores currently hold 19 commitments in the 2026 class with only one quarterback, and if Curtis genuinely has zero interest in staying home, the Vanderbilt HC needs to pivot his attention elsewhere before early signing day hits in just over a month.​

Curtis has been rock solid since May, attending multiple Georgia home games and even helping recruit other prospects to Athens. If Webb’s statement is accurate and Curtis really is “pumped to be a Bulldog,” then Vanderbilt’s historic season might not be enough to overcome Georgia’s pull. Clark Lea can keep swinging for the fences, but this five-star home run might be out of reach.​

From commit to decommit and back again

Curtis’s recruitment has been anything but straightforward. Based on his numbers, the tussle was always a possibility. His junior season numbers were absolutely ridiculous. He completed 70.2 percent of his passes for 2,830 yards and 40 touchdowns against just three interceptions. He also had 637 rushing yards and 18 rushing touchdowns. But when you think about it, that’s exactly what an agent is supposed to say in this situation. Webb’s job is to manage his client’s recruitment and tamp down speculation that could create awkward situations with Georgia.

He originally committed to Georgia in March 2024, then decommitted seven months later to open things back up. Schools like Oregon, South Carolina, and others jumped into the mix before he narrowed it down to just Oregon and Georgia. Finally, the commitment to the Bulldogs happened. However, the agent again made sure this decision was not financially driven. 

 “If Jared was chasing the best compensation package, this may have been over a long time ago,” Webb said back in May. Curtis never doubted Georgia. He just wanted not to feel guilty about exploring other options before locking down his future. Programs like Auburn, South Carolina, and Oregon couldn’t sway his decision. Now, can Clark Lea and Vanderbilt actually pull it off?