Vanderbilt’s quarterback competition has taken a turn that few expected when the Commodores landed Jared Curtis. Interestingly, though, Curtis will not open the season as the starter. Vanderbilt named senior Blaze Berlowitz the QB1, leaving Curtis as the backup. Now, former QB Diego Pavia has reacted to the development.
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“WELL EARNED- been watching this king from the start of time at NM STATE when he took over in the championship game at 18 years old and BALLED,” Pavia wrote on X, reacting to the news. “Y’all better stand down, this man the truth.”
For context, the decision to name Berlowitz has met with heavy criticism. It immediately set off frustration among some Vanderbilt fans and media members who expected the former five-star to win the job. One of the louder reactions came from On3’s Will Byrum.
“I’m really trying to understand the decision,” Byrum posted. “I’d like a real explanation of the decision-making process, not coach-speak word salad.”
Truth be told, Curtis was never an ordinary recruit. Vanderbilt does not land players like Curtis very often. He was also the highest-rated commitment in program history when he chose Clark Lea’s camp. And he was one of the most productive high school QBs in Tennessee.
As a senior at Nashville Christian, Curtis threw for 36 touchdowns while completing 65.9% of his passes and led the school to a state championship. As a junior, he threw for 2,830 yards and 40 touchdowns against only three interceptions. Naturally, fans do not want to see that kind of an investment sitting idly on the sidelines. Yet, Pavia does know what Berlowitz has been through.
Berlowitz has spent the past two seasons in Pavia’s shadow. He was the backup during Vanderbilt’s biggest turnaround in decades. While Pavia became the face of the program and eventually finished as the 2025 Heisman Trophy runner-up, Berlowitz waited. Vanderbilt therefore had a pretty unusual quarterback competition this offseason.
On one side was Curtis, a five-star freshman and the highest-rated recruit in school history. On the other was Berlowitz, a senior who had spent two years learning the offense and backing up Pavia. That experience appears to have mattered. Berlowitz appeared in six games last season and completed 9 of 17 passes for 131 yards and one touchdown without throwing an interception.
Berlowitz also ran 11 times for 81 yards and a touchdown. His best outing came against Georgia State, when he rushed four times for 63 yards and scored once. Reports from Vanderbilt’s camp have also pointed to his athleticism and ability to make plays outside the pocket. The biggest question is whether he can do it consistently against SEC defenses. The silver lining?
He has spent years in Beck’s system right from his time at New Mexico State. He already knows the terminology, protections, and expectations. That experience matters when a team is replacing a quarterback who threw for 3,539 yards and 29 touchdowns last season.