ESPN is suggesting the Vanderbilt Commodores football team is about to make a very unpopular decision – sportingnews.com

Andrew Hughes
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The Vanderbilt Commodores were able to flip one of the top recruits in the nation from the Georgia Bulldogs, Nashville Christian School quarterback Jared Curtis, and they may not even give him the chance to shine during his freshman year.
ESPN’s Max Olson believes Diego Pavia’s backup with Vanderbilt and the New Mexico State Aggies, Blaze Berlowitz, is the frontrunner to win the starting job in the Music City this season, not Curtis.
“Heisman finalist Diego Pavia helped convince Curtis to flip his commitment from Georgia last December and stay home. The question is: How quickly can the five-star recruit prove he’s ready to play? Curtis has everything a coach wants from an arm talent standpoint, but Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea wants to see growth in his mental processing as he continues to learn how to command their offense. Berlowitz started his career at New Mexico State and has the advantage of being in his fourth year with OC Tim Beck. That system experience and time learning behind Pavia could ultimately make him the favorite to start the season opener against FCS Austin Peay,” Olson wrote.
Interestingly enough, FOX Sports’ Michael Cohen just suggested the opposite last week, predicting Curtis to keep Berlowitz at bay and lining up under center as the Commodores’ QB1 this fall.
“Fast-forward to the present and Curtis, the only five-star signee in program history, is squarely in contention to become a day-one starter this fall. Reports from spring practice suggest that he matched or exceeded the lofty expectations heaped onto him by fans and analysts alike, flashing an enticing combination of arm strength and athleticism that should get him on the field this fall. His primary challenger is senior Blaze Berlowitz, a former three-star prospect and New Mexico State transfer entering his third season with the Commodores. Berlowitz made six appearances in 2025 but has never started a game for Vanderbilt. It seems unlikely that he will hold off Curtis much longer,” Cohen wrote.
Let’s walk down the road of Curtis sitting his first year as he watches Berlowitz play. Off the bat, an immediate thought is that Vanderbilt is clearly not overly confident in its roster this fall if the program is willing to pay one of its highest-paid players to ride the pine.
It’s a risk not to give Curtis whatever he is looking for in the modern world of the transfer portal. Clearly, a contending team like UGA was on his radar. He’s not likely to be okay with sitting through losing and not at least having a say in the outcome.
We’ll see if Olson or Cohen is right about this one. It’s a consequential decision either way.
Andrew is a freelance journalist based in Auburn, Alabama, who currently serves as the site expert for Fly War Eagle and Glory Colorado. His work has been featured in The Miami Herald, Bleacher Report and Heavy Sports. Andrew graduated from Brooklyn College with a degree in print journalism in 2017 and has been a sports fan since 1993. He has covered the University of Alabama’s pro day and the American Century Championship.

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