Well, it’s no less than a tug-of-war kind of situation for Jared Curtis. The 5-star QB had walked back on his commitment to Kirby Smart’s Georgia Bulldogs. But this risky move paid him well. Curtis now has offers from six top schools. Even though he was at the top of a lot of schools’ list of favorites, there was some negative recruiting buzz around him. But, hey, that didn’t stop the Nashville Christian High School QB from making a six-figure jump in fortune. While the competition to land Curtis is real, it looks like Dan Lanning and the Oregon Ducks have whipped up a sneaky plan.  

Now what made the college football programs go gaga over Curtis? The young chap had etched his name in the record book. Coming up with 7,665 passing yards in just 37 games, oh boy! While programs are locking horns to land the 5-star athlete, according to the SEC Insider, one team might get a free pass. That’s his old school, the Bulldogs.

As analyst Rusty Mansell stated,  “I’ve been really consistent on this one,” he said. “He has some really really pro-Georgia people in his circle. I mean, there are some people that really want him at Georgia. There’s some people that really believe in Mike Bobo.” But so what? The other schools have turned dead ears to such analysis. And guess who is cashing in the chance of being a hot target? Of course, Curtis! His NIL figures do all the talking. 

Before the 2025 season hype, the Tenessee product held an NIL valuation of $2.8 million. And now, according to On3, it’s jumped by $300k to $3.1 million. Did you know when Curtis signed his first NIL deal? Well, back when he was a junior in high school.

He had signed the deal with Leaf Trading Cards last March. The brand still flexes the playing card collection that is on sale for $79.99. Post which, last year around October, Curtis had an NIL value of $479K. From thousands to hitting million, and now 3 million dollars, the QB has come a long way. While he aced in the NIL field, he had remained tight-lipped about who his favorite school was in the recruitment race.

On February 3, Curtis re-shared a post from Duck Zone on his IG story. The post read, “Oregon is TRENDING for 2026 No. 1 QB Jared Curtis.” The signal-caller did not go for any caption. However, this did not stop Lanning from taking a deep plunge in the race.       

Is the Oregon path clear for Jared Curtis? 

Now Lanning is not a foolish man to be running after a mirage. He has done his research before pinning his hopes on Curtis. Do you remember what the QB said back in October? “My interest in Oregon is above the others right now. It’s my relationship with Coach Stein and Coach Lanning. It’s great, and we had a great time when we went up there.” But times are tough at the moment for Oregon, as the Ducks faced a huge blow. 

On Friday, February 21, 2026, New Lenox (Ill.) Lincoln-Way East quarterback Jonas Williams backed off of his commitment to the Ducks. The 6’3” and 200-pounder has chosen to flip to Lincoln Riley’s USC Trojans. Now this must have been costly, as losing a 4-star QB who is rated as the No.6 QB in the 2026 class is bound to come with a lot of repercussions. The young chap showed some real action on the gridiron.

He is fresh off his junior season, where he led Lincoln-Way East to a 12-1 record. But looks like this might be a blessing in disguise for Lanning and Co. Losing Jonas is likely to bring the Ducks closer to their Curtis dream. Going by the hush-hush, Oregon is positioning itself for a huge 2026 quarterback splash. Now that Jonas Williams is gone, the seat is getting prepped up for Jared Curtis.