Vanderbilt is taking the cautious route with the program’s most highly touted recruit in history. Five-star freshman quarterback Jared Curtis will not start the Commodores’ season opener against Austin Peay, with senior Blaze Berlowitz getting the nod at under center, according to ESPN.
Curtis is expected to play, however, giving coach Clark Lea an opportunity to begin working his prized freshman into the offense without immediately placing the offense in his hands.
So, will Curtis eventually take over the starting job this season, and if so, when could we expect that to happen?
The answer could come in mid-October.
If Vanderbilt follows a logical progression with Curtis, the Week 7 home game against Arkansas on Oct. 17 stands out as the most natural point for the Nashville native to take over the offense.
There is little reason for Vanderbilt to rush Curtis into the starting job.
The Commodores open with three consecutive home games against Austin Peay, Delaware and NC State before beginning SEC play at Auburn on Sept. 26. That road trip kicks off the most difficult three-game stretch on the schedule, with a matchup at No. 3 Georgia followed by a home game against No. 9 Ole Miss.
Throwing a true freshman into that stretch would be a significant ask, particularly when Vanderbilt has a senior quarterback in Berlowitz who, despite having zero career starts entering the season, can handle the early-season workload.
Instead, Lea can use the first six games to get a feel for Curtis’ development, both in practice and in limited game action.
Curtis can get his feet wet against Austin Peay and Delaware, with his workload potentially increasing as he gains comfort in the offense. If he handles those opportunities well, that could open the door for him to make his first start against NC State in Week 3. If not, Vanderbilt can continue bringing him along behind Berlowitz before throwing him into SEC play.
Either way, the first six weeks should give Lea enough information to determine whether Curtis is ready to take over by the time Vanderbilt returns home to face Arkansas.
Curtis’ talent isn’t going anywhere
The decision to start Berlowitz should not be interpreted as Vanderbilt backing away from Curtis.
The quarterback competition was legitimate throughout fall camp. Berlowitz entered with experience after he appeared in six games as Diego Pavia’s backup last season. Curtis brought the recruiting pedigree and physical upside of the No. 2 overall prospect in the 2026 class, according to 247Sports.
Lea consistently emphasized that the job would be earned rather than handed to Curtis because of his recruiting ranking. The second scrimmage this past Saturday provided another opportunity for Lea and the Vanderbilt staff to evaluate the two quarterbacks side by side.
Berlowitz had shown more consistency at times throughout camp, while Curtis continued to flash the playmaking ability that made him one of the nation’s most coveted recruits.
“You’re kind of watching [Curtis] operate the offense tonight,” Lea stated Saturday. “It felt like he was at his best for the longest. And Blaze, I think Blaze has had an excellent training camp. He’s day in and day out been really consistent, and he does some things tactically with the offensive scheme around him that gives us a chance.”
That competition ultimately led Vanderbilt to choose Berlowitz for the opener. But that calculus can change quickly.
Berlowitz gives Vanderbilt a steady hand to start the season, while Curtis gets his first taste of college football without the pressure of immediately replacing Pavia. At the same time, every meaningful snap Curtis gets will give Lea more information about how the freshman is adapting to the speed and complexity of the college game.
If Curtis looks comfortable in his limited opportunities, avoids the freshman mistakes that Vanderbilt is trying to protect against, and continues to develop behind the scenes, the pressure to get him on the field will only increase.
And if Curtis shows he’s ready by the middle of October, the schedule presents a natural opening.
The Commodores will have already navigated Auburn, Georgia and Ole Miss. They will have a home game against Arkansas waiting on the other side, followed by road trips to Kentucky and Mississippi State — three teams projected at the bottom of the SEC entering the season.
A new era after Diego Pavia
Whenever Curtis does take over, he has a difficult act to follow. Pavia left Vanderbilt as one of the most accomplished players in program history after leading the Commodores to their first-ever 10-win season in 2025. He threw for 3,539 yards and 29 touchdowns while adding 1,663 rushing yards, finished as the Heisman Trophy runner-up and helped Vanderbilt reach No. 15 in the final AP poll — its highest finish since 1948.
Berlowitz has a chance to bridge the gap. He completed 9 of 17 passes for 131 yards and a touchdown in six appearances as Pavia’s backup last season, and his experience in Vanderbilt’s offense gives Lea an option while Curtis develops.
Curtis still represents something much bigger for the program.
Vanderbilt flipped the Nashville native from Georgia shortly before the 2026 signing period, beating out virtually every major program in the country. The move became the most significant recruiting win of Lea’s tenure and a tangible sign of how far Vanderbilt’s program has come under his direction.
“He’s as good as we hoped he’d be,” a source told CBS Sports during the summer.
Curtis does not need to be Pavia. Lea acknowledged as much at SEC Media Days in July. His game is different, but he possesses the athleticism to create plays when things break down. The question is how quickly those tools translate to the SEC and whether Curtis can turn his obvious talent into the consistency required to run Vanderbilt’s offense.
Even in a backup role, Curtis will enter the season as one of the most closely watched freshman quarterbacks in the country, alongside Tennessee’s Faizon Brandon.
