What Jared Curtis Showed in his First Spring Game – Sports Illustrated

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NASHVILLE – There stood Vanderbilt’s freshman quarterback Jared Curtis standing in the end zone in front of what would be the student section during a regular season game. The five-star recruit was getting loose for his first spring game and the first time in front of Vanderbilt football fans.
Though it was not a game with high stakes, Curtis was still the focal point of fan interest as they saw him throw and operate head coach Clark Lea’s offense for the first time.
Curtis saw the field for three different drives as Lea evaluated his ongoing four-way quarterback competition through the four quarter scrimmage. The first drive, Curtis threw just two passes that both went incomplete. The second one was much better and showed the potential that he has if he continues to develop. Curtis completed three of his four passes for 52 yards in a drive that resulted in a touchdown run from Izayah Lee.
What was impressive from that drive is that Curtis pushed the ball down the field with a 22-yard throw to wide receiver Ja’Cory Thomas and a 23-yard pass to running back Evan Hampton after scrambling out of the pocket.
In his final drive of the day, Curtis went 2-for-7 passing for 37 yards. The possession was a mix of putting his arm talent on display, but also showed that he has plenty of room to grow and develop as a decision maker. In total, Curtis finished 5-for-13 passing with 89 yards.
“You see physical elements of his game that are unique to him as a human being. I mean his potential for the explosive play, the way he can evade the rush, the way he can find receivers down the field, the look that his ball has coming out of his hand,” Lea said of Curtis’ performance. “Time is going to give him the opportunity to grow into the system and into the structure. Because that position needs to be able to line up the other 10 and get them pointed in the same direction. Little things like how he calls the play in the huddle, his voice and command in cadence. Those are things we're going to be focused on for the next three months before we get into training camp.”
After seeing scrimmages and throughout spring practice, Curtis possesses an arm talent that few quarterbacks in the country have as a freshman and makes throws that are not what fans would consider to be a freshman-like throw. Moreover, Curtis has looked more composed in the huddle as the spring has gone on, but there is still improvement that will be needed – which is expected.
As a decision maker, Curtis did not do anything extremely dangerous, but Lea did feel like Curtis and Blaze Berlowitz both rushed some throws rather than going through all their progressions. Those are freshman mistakes that are also expected, but it is something Lea wants to see him get tuned up going into the fall camp in August.
“And specifically today, it felt like he and Blaze pressed a little bit for the big play. And I think that's natural and normal in a final scrimmage spring game environment. But there are a couple times where finding the check down earlier, finding the rhythm earlier, being willing to play for the next snap, being willing to play for the next series. Those are characteristics of a winning quarterback, and so that's what we'll be looking for moving forward,” Lea said.
But there was something about Curtis’ tendencies Saturday that revealed a little more about him as a player. In his three possessions he got to lead the offense, Curtis was never shy about pushing the ball down the field. In fact, it looked like he wanted to make throws down the field. Simply put, Curtis has no fear as a quarterback by the looks of it.
Lea agrees with that assessment and feels that represents who he is as a player. Curtis is a player that loves to compete and seems to embrace trying to be a playmaker and believes in himself to do just that. Maybe his aggressive nature of pushing the offense downfield could stem from wanting to seek out a big play instead of the simple play, but that is an aspect of his game that will develop over time.
“Yeah, no, we love that. I've really enjoyed getting to know him as a person. I've really enjoyed his humility, his process, his awareness of what he does. And as a competitor, the ability to let it go and just know you're going to make mistakes. I think that breeds some courage to take shots,” Lea said. “Now, we want him to feel really comfortable, and what we want any of those guys to do is, ‘I got an open receiver. It may be a four yard throw, let's take it, allow the receiver to puncture and play for the next snap.’ We can then get into tempo. We can then put pressure on the defense, and that'll unlock explosive play. But, certainly he believes in himself. He has courage, he has the physical traits to get himself out of trouble. And I think some growth is going to be being willing to do the simple things really well that will ultimately unlock that explosive nature.”
Now, Curtis and the rest of Lea’s team will continue to develop and improve as the calendar turns to the summer time. The evolution of Curtis as a player is certain to continue over the next few months before fall camp begins in August.
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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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