What Jared Curtis Does In Return to Georgia Doesn't Determine Whether He Made The Right Choice Leaving It – Sports Illustrated

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NASHVILLE—Oh, to know what was going through Jared Curtis’ head as he plopped down in a padded seat in a South End Zone suite and a number of cameras were pointed in his direction looking to capture him. 
Curtis’ representation declared that he was merely on Vanderbilt’s campus that day—when it beat Missouri in College Gameday—to support a friend that was being recruited by Vanderbilt, but it wasn’t difficult to see through that. Vanderbilt was pushing hard for Curtis and the private indication was that it was close to flipping him from Georgia. 
While Curtis sat and looked out at Vanderbilt’s turf field, he knew that he had a real decision to make. If he was stressed or anxious about it, he didn’t show it. But, he had to be feeling something.
Curtis’ decision would take him to two entirely different situations, and he had to know it at the time. At Georgia, he’d be one in a long line of dudes who have built legacies in Athens. He’d be on a national championship contender every season. He’d have to wait his turn and leave home, though. 
If he chose Vanderbilt, he surely that knew he’d be the highest earner on the roster and the program’s most important player as a freshman. He knew that rather than learning by watching how Georgia veteran Gunnar Stockton approached his work, he’d be the guy tasked with running the show. He knew that he’d have a chance to perform right away at Vanderbilt more than he would anywhere else. 
Curtis had to know that the decision would be polarizing, but he made it anyway.
“My parents showed me the underdog can be a winner,” Curtis said in his commitment post. “I gotta walk my path that feels right in my heart, at the end of the day this has to be my decision. Being here in Nashville and seeing what Vandy has been doing this season has been amazing and over the past few weeks, I felt more and more that I wanna be a part of that, to be close to home, to play in front of my family and friends and to be what I love to be, an underdog.”
As Curtis goes back to Athens on Saturday, he’ll be exactly that. He’ll be a big underdog, as much of one as he will be at any point in his Vanderbilt career. All external narratives indicate that Georgia will run Vanderbilt off the field, like it has every time the programs have met since 2016. 
But, Curtis will have an impact on the outcome of the game. He’ll likely touch the ball every time Vanderbilt has it. The only way he won’t be on the field for every offensive snap Vanderbilt takes is if he has to miss time due to an injury he suffered against Auburn–which has prompted him to show up on the SEC’s Availability Report as questionable this week. Who knows how this all pans out for Curtis, but he gives Vanderbilt a chance to stay in the fight Saturday with his mere presence. 
Curtis will hear it from the Sanford Stadium crowd Saturday in regard to whether he made the right decision or not, particularly if Georgia wins big, but this is what he wanted. He wanted to be the guy right away. He wanted to be thrown to the fire in road environments right away like he will be Saturday. He wanted to have a chance to be the x-factor in big wins. He wanted his mistakes, not someone else’s, to be ones that determine games. The impact of that choice isn't decipherable yet, and it won't be until Curtis plays his final down as a Vanderbilt player. The only way he can prove he made the right one right now is to beat Georgia on Saturday, which appears unlikely.
There will inevitably be criticism in regard to Curtis making this choice if Vanderbilt loses big on Saturday and he doesn’t perform, but the idea that neither Curtis or Georgia lost big here. Curtis got what he wants out of this–the early playing time, the big contract, the responsibility of being the future–even if it doesn’t manifest in early results. As for Georgia. Georgia is fine. Smart’s team is still ranked No. 2 in the country. It will inevitably land another quarterback prospect of Curtis’ caliber at some point in the next few recruiting cycles. If it doesn’t, it’s an issue the program has to address rather than a flashpoint induced by Curtis’ decision. 
If all wasn’t fine in Athens Kirby Smart would have more salty undertones when Curtis came up in his midweek press conference. Instead, he sounded sincere in his praise. 
“Tremendous talent. He’s way better athletically than people give him credit for. I don’t know if anybody’s tackled him like with one person tackling him yet,” Smart said. “He’s strong, he’s quick, powerful. He’s got great arm talent. I mean, everything everybody has thought has been true.”
Even then, Curtis wouldn’t have gotten on the field Saturday for Georgia anyway. The only way he would’ve is if Smart really wanted to use Curtis’ frame at downhill athletic ability in certain packages. He’s decidedly the underdog Saturday, but he’ll impact the game. 
At this stage, that’s an indicator that he’s not worse off for any decision that he’s made. As a result, Saturday doesn't have to be vindication for Curtis.
“I don’t know that Jared’s focus is anywhere other than just on his own progress,” Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea said in his Tuesday press conference. “I know that he’s frustrated coming out on the wrong side of the Auburn game and he wants to improve and he wants to be better for his team and his teammates and they want to be better for him.”
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Joey Dwyer is the lead writer on Vanderbilt Commodores On SI. He found his first love in college sports at nearby Lipscomb University and decided to make a career of telling its best stories. He got his start doing a Notre Dame basketball podcast from his basement as a 14-year-old during COVID and has since aimed to make that 14-year-old proud. Dwyer has covered Vanderbilt sports for three years and previously worked for 247 Sports and Rivals. He contributes to Seth Davis' Hoops HQ, Basket Under Review and Mainstreet Nashville.
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