Panic flashed through the Bulldogs’ camp after word came out that Jared Curtis is visiting Vanderbilt this week. Curtis is the cornerstone of the Bulldogs’ 2026 recruiting class as the No. 1 quarterback in the country. So, the fear of losing him didn’t sit well with Kirby Smart or Georgia’s fan base, especially with Curtis’s ties with Nashville. So, Smart’s move? Making sure no one takes away their 6’3″, 225 lb weapon from them, even if it means going miles away for it.

Look, Kirby Smart’s team currently holds the nation’s second-best recruiting class for the 2026 cycle, and Jared Curtis is one of the reasons behind it. Now, on one side, where Georgia is going up against Florida in Jacksonville, Curtis is gearing up for the Vandy-Missouri game. Now, it can be because of ESPN Game Day’s presence at the game after 17 years, but the idea of Vanderbilt hosting him didn’t sit well with Smart. He sends his staff to visit Curtis personally to ensure that’s not the case.

CBS Sports Tom Loy hits X with pictures of the visit, captioned, “@GeorgiaFootball offensive coordinator and QB coach Mike Bobo out here in Nashville checking in on five-star quarterback and Bulldogs commit @Jaredcurtis37. On Saturday, Curtis will head over to watch @VandyFootball.”  The fear intensifies more because Curtis had already once decommitted from the program back in October 2024 and came back again in May 2025.

What’s even more concerning is that this Game-Day visit is Jared Curtis’s second trip to Vanderbilt, as he already went there on Wednesday. This season Curtis has already recorded 1,005 passing yards with 14 TDs and three interceptions, and even last season he took his team to a 12-1 record, completing 179 of 255 passes for 2,830 yards with 40 TDs and just 3 interceptions. So, it’s pretty evident that this level of talent will surely grab eyes.

Look, with Diego Pavia’s eligibility shrinking this season taking in a no.4 recruit nationally and top prospect in Tennessee into the program would have been the best thing for Clark Lea’s program. And it’s not like they didn’t do anything to make it happen earlier this month Pavia went to one of Curtis high school game fueling buzz around grabbing is commitment. Yet it looks like all this efforts were for nothing.

As Jared Curtis agent makes his future plan pretty clear.

Kirby Smart gets a sign of relief

Well, in the middle of all the chaos and the intensified fear of losing Jared Curtis, his agent clarifies that he’s just taking another trip with his HS team as a part of the invitation. This could mean Vanderbilt isn’t pursuing him; it’s probably just a game-day visit. “But he is pumped to be a Dawg and thrilled to have a chance to play for such an incredible program and staff,” said Peter Webb. “Jared is very fortunate to be thought of so highly from Coach [Kirby] Smart and [offensive coordinator Mike] Bobo, and he is so excited to get to Athens as an early enrollee.”  So, for now Georgia is the only destination for Curtis.

That relationship is what is keeping him committed to the program. But even the push to get him makes sense, as Clark Lea’s program has 19 commitments so far in the 2026 class but only has one quarterback commitment. So, what’s better than getting a 5-star, right? Yet after Curtis’s agent’s update, it looks like Lea needs to find another player for his team. As Webb made it clear: “Let’s be clear: Jared is a Bulldog. He is pumped to be a Bulldog.”

On top of that, Georgia is making sure NIL doesn’t get in their way of recruiting, as they gathered an NIL package worth $750,000 for Jared Curtis’ first year with them. So, with that, let’s see if Vanderbilt’s game day would change anything for Curtis, as Kirby Smart’s entire 2026 class is relying on him.