Jared Curtis Takes The Torch From Diego Pavia With Big Declaration – Sports Illustrated

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The magnitude of Jared Curtis’ impact was perhaps the most apparent it’s been at any point since his Vanderbilt commitment on Friday as former Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia addressed the media in Indianapolis. Yes, really. 
Pavia’s breakout session prior to throwing at the NFL Combine had plenty to do with himself, the misconceptions he feels surround him, which NFL teams he’s met with, his mindset and just about everything that could relate to his polarizing pre-draft process. Curtis–a Nashville teenager–also had his place in the mix, though. 
The former Vanderbilt quarterback compared Curtis to Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes prior to his Vanderbilt commitment and said that he’s the “next big thing.” Turns out Pavia isn’t the only one that’s confident in Curtis. 
“I’m going to win the national championship you couldn’t win,” Pavia said Curtis told him a few days ago. 
Pavia laughed the comment off by saying that he and Curtis “just joke around and have a good time,” but every joke has a bit of confidence–and intention of truth behind it. It appears as if Pavia isn’t writing that off from being the case. 
“I hope they keep soaring through the roof,” Pavia said, “And then next year they go 12-0 and reach the playoffs.”
The former Vanderbilt quarterback is the greatest Vanderbilt football player in program history as a result of the 17-9 record that he posted as its quarterback and the push for the Heisman Trophy that he made in his final season at the helm. He appears to believe Curtis could transcend him, though. 
As Pavia stood at the podium on Friday, he declared that Vanderbilt’s quarterback competition between Curtis and Blaze Berlowitz is a “50/50” competition as it stands right now and that “the best man will win.” Pavia says he respects that Vanderbilt offensive coordinator Tim Beck and consultant Jerry Kill view it that way.
Berlowitz will present a challenge, but Curtis’ pedigree indicates that he’s got the inside track on the job. 
The recruitment of Curtis involved signs at College Gameday promoting him, Vanderbilt baseball coach Tim Corbin standing on the sidelines at one of his regular season games and a full-on Curtis watch at Vanderbilt’s game against Missouri. He’s the type of player that Vanderbilt likely couldn’t get to pick up the phone in the past, but was able to land because of its unlikely rise and all that came with it. 
Curtis is the first five-star recruit to choose Vanderbilt in program history and is its consensus highest-graded recruit since the start of recruiting services. The former Georgia commit is ranked the No. 1 quarterback in the 2026 class. 
The Vanderbilt commit indicates that Clark Lea’s program can continue to be a winner after Pavia heads off to the next level because of his skillset as well as what it says about the program’s infrastructure that he was open to what it had to say. 
Pavia said that he doesn’t know if he played much of a factor in the recruitment, but that he told Curtis that he told him he was there to help him when Curtis started coming around more. Pavia says that Curtis “still knows” that and that they still talk to each other. What it boiled down to, though, in Pavia’s mind was that Curtis wanted to stay in his hometown and do something that’s never been done at Vanderbilt. 
“I’m super excited about him,” Pavia said Friday. “He’s gonna have a great journey. He’s got all the talent in the world. One day I want him projected to be the first round pick or wherever God takes him in life.”
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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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