Clark Lea Updates Jared Curtis' Status Ahead of Matchup Against Ole Miss – Sports Illustrated

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NASHVILLE—Vanderbilt quarterback Jared Curtis appears to be trending towards playing Saturday against Ole Miss. 
Curtis was listed as probable by Vanderbilt on Wednesday’s injury report and is still day-to-day, but there’s been no setbacks in his recovery since Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea met the media on Tuesday. Lea said Thursday that Curtis is feeling good and likes where he’s at. 
“He had a full week of practice,” Lea said.
Curtis missed Vanderbilt's Saturday matchup with Georgia with a knee bruise after popping up on the injury report last Wednesday due to what Lea called a "challenging" injury at the time. Curtis suffered the injury against Auburn in Vanderbilt's week four loss.
He went through a number of individual tests in which he stretched, tested his start-stop ability and his straight-line running ability prior to Vanderbilt's matchup against Georgia. When Curtis finished, he stood at the 20-yard line talking with a trainer for a few minutes. Curtis also threw passes to Vanderbilt receivers at midfield pregame. But, Vanderbilt determined that he wasn't healthy enough to see the field. 
Now, it appears as if Curtis is turning the corner. 
“He was able to practice today and from my vantage point, was able to do that without much limitation. He’ll still be a part of our injury report as we move through the week, but I’m encouraged by his progress,” Lea said Tuesday in a statement that appears to be holding up now. “Just like anything, it’s one thing to go into practice to be able to participate. It’s another thing to then see how your body recovers and how you feel the next day.”
Curtis made his first SEC road start against Auburn two weeks ago, where Vanderbilt took a tough 21-15 loss to the Tigers to begin conference play. Curtis sustained an injury on one of the plays in the Auburn game that ultimately kept him out of playing this past weekend.
This is the first injury that Curtis has gotten as a college quarterback. On one hand, it may be easy to think that Curtis not being able to play in an environment like Georgia’s could hinder his development a little bit. But Lea sees it a different way. Lea sees this experience for Curtis as a necessary evil to develop as a player and a quarterback.
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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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