Following Diego Pavia’s NFL departure, Vanderbilt landed a key piece at QB in Jared Curtis when he flipped his commitment from Georgia. The 5-star QB has all the tools to take the starting QB role for the Commodores’ 2026 season. But Curtis won’t be able to get the QB1 position in his first year, as per a former ESPN analyst.

“Now he’s fighting with Blaze to see who’ll be the starting quarterback. I don’t think Curtis will start at quarterback this year. Not to start, I’m sure,” said David Pollack this week on his show, See Ball Get Ball.

“I have a little backdrop, and I know a little bit about this dude whose name is Blaze Berlowitz. You don’t know his name yet, but let me tell you something. He’s made of all the right stuff. This dude’s got a heartbeat about him.”

Berlowitz came to Nashville in 2024 following a season at New Mexico State as a depth piece behind then-QB1 Diego Pavia. In 2023, when Pavia was injured, he took the stage in NW’s conference title game against Liberty and recorded 134 yards. Following that, he entered the portal alongside Pavia and joined the Commodores following former NW OC Tim Beck.

At the moment, Berlowitz knows Beck’s offense better than Curtis does, and he also has experience as Pavia’s backup. That could push Jared Curtis away from the QB1 position, and he has to wait behind senior QB Berlowitz, as per Pollack.

“When you watch Jared Curtis, like you never question his love for the game or his heart. He ran through people in high school last year, and you’re like, ‘No, I wouldn’t do that. Like, you don’t need to do run out of bounds.’ But I do think Blaze has some good to him,” added the former ESPN analyst.

Curtis is widely considered the No. 1 pocket passer in the 2026 cycle, and his numbers backed that up. Last season at Nashville Christian, he threw for 2,073 yards and 36 touchdowns. Across his high school career, he racked up more than 9000 passing yards and 2,277 rushing yards. But talent isn’t enough to take the starting QB position in Nashville.

The freshman QB needs to understand the college game. For that, spring practice and fall camp aren’t enough time. That’s where Berlowitz would win the QB1 competition. However, nothing is set in stone.

Vanderbilt head coach’s take on Jared Curtis

Clark Lea believes there’s no replacement for Diego Pavia, who threw for 3,539 yards and rushed for 862 yards in his senior season at Vandy. He also led the Commodores to their first 10-win season and finished his journey as the 2025 Heisman runner-up.

“We won’t replicate Diego,” said Lea. “He’s unique in so many ways.”

But following his NFL departure, Vanderbilt isn’t short on signal-caller options. Though Curtis is a true freshman, Lea has confidence in the QB. He brings arm talent and a perfect frame, which Pavia never had.

“The skillset is higher with Jared Curtis than it was with Diego Pavia,” said former Alabama QB Greg McElroy.

Therefore, Curtis has the tools to be a starting QB. However, the college game is completely different. Even Bryce Underwood struggled last year. Fortunately, for Clark Lea, his OC is the right person to take the offense forward.

“The system is really good, and it’s looked really different than in the last when it started to evolve around Pavia… I have full confidence that Tim Beck can take the system and evolve it around whoever it is,” said Pollack.