Before taking his first snap as a Vanderbilt football quarterback, Jared Curtis cashed in on an NIL deal.
Curtis has a cameo role in Nashville comedianNate Bargatze’s new movie, “The Breadwinner,” which will be released at the end of May, according to a post on Outkick’s Clay Travis’ X account. Curtis, wearing a Vanderbilt hat, is shopping for a new car in his scene.
The NIL deal was made for all the world to see when Bargatze, who is a huge Vanderbilt fan, was the guest picker on ESPN’s College Gameday on Vanderbilt’s campus in the 2025 football season, ahead of the Commodores‘ game against Missouri.
Curtis, in his senior season at Nashville Christian, was still trying to choose between Georgia, where he had committed, and Vanderbilt, which was making a strong push for his services to replace Heisman trophy runner-up quarterback Diego Pavia.
Bargatze mentioned a movie role to the 5-star quarterback during the ESPN broadcast, saying “you want to be in a movie?”
He earlier said, “Just remind Jared Curtis how much I would love for you to come to Vanderbilt. And we’re local kids. We’ll become best friends, bud.”
About two weeks later, on Dec. 2, 2025, Curtis announced he would stay home to play for Vanderbilt instead of Georgia.
In the PG-rated movie, Bargatze works at a Toyota dealership where Curtis is shopping. Speaking of Georgia, in an ironic twist, “The Breadwinner” was filmed in Atlanta but is set in Nashville, with references to landmarks such as Centennial Park, the Tennessee Titans, and the Nashville Fairgrounds.
Along with Bargatze, stars include Mandy Moore, Colin Jost, Zach Cherry, Martin Herlihy, Kumail Nanjiani and Will Forte. Nashville-based country singer Maddox Batson and comedian Dusty Slay, a close friend of Bargatze’s, also appear in the film.
Reach Mike Organ at 615-259-8021 or on X @MikeOrganWriter.
