Vanderbilt has named Blaze Berlowitz its starting quarterback, choosing the senior over five-star freshman Jared Curtis, a source confirmed to the Nashville Tennessean, part of the USA TODAY Network.
Berlowitz is entering his third season with the Commodores after transferring from New Mexico State after the 2023 season. He was part of what became a transformational group of Aggies arrivals, making the move alongside quarterback Diego Pavia, tight end Eli Stowers and coach Jerry Kill.
While serving as the primary backup to Pavia last season, Berlowitz completed 9-of-17 passes for 131 yards and a touchdown while adding 81 rushing yards and a touchdown on 11 rushing attempts.
He’ll make his first start in Vanderbilt’s 2026 season-opener against Austin Peay on Saturday, Sept. 5, though according to a report from ESPN, Curtis will also receive snaps in that game.
Curtis, a Nashville native, was the No. 4 overall prospect nationally and the No. 2 quarterback in 247Sports’ Composite rankings for the 2026 recruiting class. He had originally committed to SEC powerhouse Georgia before flipping to Vanderbilt in December 2025 after weeks of speculation and a public push — most notably from Nashville-based comedian Nate Bargatze — to join the Commodores.
The 6-foot-3, 200-pound Berlowitz will be tasked with filling an immense void. Pavia was the central figure in Vanderbilt’s improbable turnaround the past two seasons. In 2025, he accounted for 4,401 yards and 39 touchdowns while finishing second in Heisman Trophy voting and leading the Commodores to a school-record 10 wins.
Over Pavia’s two seasons as a starter, Vanderbilt went 17-9 after going 9-27 in coach Clark Lea’s first three seasons as head coach. This year, the Commodores were picked to finish 13th in the 16-team SEC in the league’s preseason media poll.
