Vanderbilt football coach Clark Lea maintains its an open quarterback battle this spring with all four quarterbacks, Blaze Berlowitz, Whit Muschamp, Jack Elliott and Jared Curtis, in the conversation.
And it truly is a QB competition, with Lea saying April 11 that there won’t be a starter named after Vanderbilt’s spring season concludes on April 18 with the Black and Gold game.
However, that competition appears to be more of a two-QB race between Berlowitz, a senior who transferred from New Mexico State prior to the 2024 season, and Curtis, the five-star freshman from Nashville.
“We’re not going to name a starter coming out of spring,” Lea said. “We’re not, I don’t think, even close to that, honestly.”
Lea said there will be a time when there will be some elimination from the QB race. That is needed for additional QB repetitions. It’s just not needed right now.
Here is a look at the two QB frontrunners — Berlowitz and Curtis — with one week remaining in spring practice.
Berlowitz is the most familiar with Vanderbilt’s offense, having attended New Mexico State with offensive coordinator Tim Beck. He backed up Heisman runner-up Diego Pavia in 2025, completing 9-of-17 passes for 131 yards with a touchdown against Georgia State on Sept. 20. He played in six games.
Berlowitz showed during Vanderbilt’s scrimmage on April 11 a command of the offense. He’s elusive. He extended one play early in the scrimmage, scrambling to his left and found a teammate open for a TD pass.
If there is a pecking order, give Berlowitz the edge over the current quarterbacks because of experience in the offense and ability to lead Vanderbilt downfield.
Curtis isn’t far behind Berlowitz if he is trailing. Curtis, too, can scramble. He showed he was comfortable with being a physical runner downfield and can elude a pass rusher to extend a play.
But Curtis’ arm is the difference. He can take one step back and whiz it to a wide receiver by the sidelines. He showed an ability to zip balls into a tight catchable window out of a defender’s reach on April 11. That’s what sets him apart from the rest of his competition. Curtis finished his high school career at Nashville Christian tied for second in the state for most total touchdowns (177), second most passing TDs (128) and third in total offense (12,010 yards).
Now, how familiar is he deep into the Vanderbilt offensive playbook? Only Clark knows that. But consider this: In a normal world he would be in high school prom season and getting ready for graduation. Instead, he’s taking college courses at Vanderbilt and learning how to play quarterback in the SEC. He may need a little grace if he’s not as deep into the entire playbook as the other QBs on the roster.
“I think with Jared, it’s giving him time and resources so he can be at his best,” Lea said. “We don’t have to have a starter until we’re playing Austin Peay (on Sept. 5).”
Reach Tom Kreager at 615-259-8089 or tkreager@tennessean.com and on X @Kreager.
