Jared Curtis Already Impressing Future Teammates During Bowl Practice – Sports Illustrated

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It is not 2026 quite yet, but Vanderbilt football head coach Clark Lea and his players have gotten a glimpse into what the future of the program could be.
Vanderbilt’s highest-rated recruit in school history, quarterback Jared Curtis, has been participating in Vanderbilt’s practices as it prepares for the ReliaQuest Bowl against Iowa. Since prep started a couple weeks ago, Curtis has been taking practice reps with the Vanderbilt offense to get some early chemistry going with his future teammates before the offseason begins.
“Jared’s been able to kind of be with the offense in preparation and take reps over the course of the last couple weeks. It’s been very valuable and it’s a small sample size and obviously there is a lot of learning, but I think it sets the course for a faster start in January,” Lea said.
Curtis sent shockwaves through the college football world in early December as the five-star quarterback flipped his commitment from Georgia to Vanderbilt. Curtis, who is a Nashville native, will likely be the one that current Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia passes the torch to when his collegiate career ends after the ReliaQuest Bowl.
One of the guys that Curtis has started to build chemistry with is tight end Cole Spence. Spence, who announced that he is returning to Vanderbilt for the 2026 season, could end up being one of Curtis’ primary targets next season should Curtis win the starting job. Spence has seen firsthand the talent that Curtis possesses and the potential he can bring to the field next season.
“He’s a really nice dude. I mean the talent you can see just oozes out of him. You watch him throw and it just kind of jumps out of his arm. He’s a very talented guy and I see his work ethic and we’re really excited to watch him develop,” Spence said.
Vanderbilt safety Randon Fontenette has not had the opportunity to go against Curtis in practice yet, but he will see plenty of reps against him come the offseason and into the next season. But Fontenette has watched Curtis in practice from afar and he also sees the arm talent Curtis brings.
“I’ve seen him throwing balls and stuff. He can throw it,” Fontenette said.
Curtis’ commitment flip to Vanderbilt was significant in many ways. Not only was it a sign of the changing times in college athletics in its current era, but it also showed that the Vanderbilt football program was not just a one year wonder. Lea’s vision and the staff and roster he has put together have all culminated to bring a highly-touted recruit like Curtis to Vanderbilt. In a way, Curtis’ commitment to Vanderbilt changed the program and certainly the perception of the program as fans know it.
Graham Baakko is a writer for Vanderbilt Commodores On SI, primarily covering football, basketball and baseball. Graham is a recent graduate from the University of Alabama, where he wrote for The Crimson White, WVUA-FM, WVUA 23 as he covered a variety of Crimson Tide sports. He also covered South Carolina athletics as a sportswriting intern for GamecockCentral.
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