What Was Said About Jared Curtis After the First Day of Spring Practice – Sports Illustrated

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Vanderbilt five-star quarterback Jared Curtis is the big man on campus at Vanderbilt University this spring. He has also been the talk of the offseason for Vanderbilt football ever since he officially flipped his commitment from Georgia to play college ball at home in Nashville.
Tuesday, Curtis got his first taste of spring football practice with his new teammates, putting in work and reps as well as all the other quarterbacks and players on the roster. Since getting to campus, Curtis has gotten acclimated to the new coaching staff and has of course gotten the attention of head coach Clark Lea since he arrived on campus.
“I’ve been impressed with his toughness and I felt like he had a good offseason. It’s fun to kind of get to know him through this because the recruiting was really quick. But he fits in really well with who we are and he’s earned the respect of his teammates,” Lea said.
With a freshman quarterback there is obviously a development aspect that has to run its course. To expect any high-caliber recruit to immediately jump in playing Heisman-like football in season one, let alone the first spring would be a ridiculous thing to expect. Lea knows mistakes will come and that development is needed to Curtis’ game like any other player.
But Curtis also has plenty of eyes all around him. Being a Nashville native and being one of the biggest stories of the college football offseason is certain to bring attention to Curtis and the program as a whole. But Lea does have some instruction for how Curtis handles that.
“The first thing is, observing him from observing how he operates, Jared’s a guy that’s not really interested in the spotlight. He’s not really looking to be the story. So, he doesn’t really hold on to that stuff. He’s really focused on his work with the team. He wants to be great, that’s within him,” Lea said. “But we also understand whether he wants to be the story or not, the story will be written. For him to anticipate that, but understand any time he has a chance to speak on behalf of the program he’s doing just that.”
So what does Curtis bring to the team in terms of his game? Lea noted that he sees Curtis’ arm talent and the confidence that goes with it. He also recalled the developmental aspect of his game where he has made mistakes in the opportunities he’s been given.
One of the receivers Curtis will be throwing to if he does win the starting role will be wide receiver Junior Sherrill. After the first spring practice, Sherrill talked about what he sees in Curtis as a player and as a person.
“He’s coming along well, being a leader in this room and hitting me up to throw sometimes. He’s just been overall a good player and a good person, somebody that you love to be around,” Sherrill said. “He’s an ultimate competitor. I see that in all four quarterbacks. It’s a blessing that we have a quarterback room that is as talented as they are. He [Curtis] can definitely spin it. I think all the quarterbacks throw a great ball, but he can definitely spin it. It comes out a little bit harder, but you still have to catch it.”
Off the field, Curtis seems to have moved more into a leadership role and being a locker room guy amongst the players. Additionally, Curtis has gradually earned the respect of his teammates and his guys in the huddle.
Vanderbilt offensive lineman Cade McConnell talked about what he has seen in Curtis off the field and how he has been in the huddle.
“Jared and I have gotten a little close since the time he was early enrolling, but I like Jared. He’s a cool dude and he fits in our locker room. I think our locker room right now is super tight,” McConnell said. “I think maybe a little bit of nerves, but I don’t know if we’ve seen much of that with any of our freshmen on the roster, honestly. Everyone was like this as a freshman, you don’t want to go in there and mess up. So once you get that out of your head, it’ll be just fine, especially with the quarterbacks.”
Curtis has not been on campus for a long period of time yet, but it seems as though he has found himself fitting into the roster for Lea’s sixth season at Vanderbilt with plenty of time to get more comfortable and continue to build chemistry with everyone around him before the 2026 season begins in early September.
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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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