Vanderbilt makes historic splash, adds No. 1 QB Jared Curtis to 2026 class

Vanderbilt has pulled off the biggest recruiting win of the 2026 cycle, flipping Nashville Christian Five-Star Plus+ quarterback Jared Curtis from Georgia.

Despite Curtis’ local ties and the upward trajectory of the Vandy football program, it’s an improbable flip for Commodores head coach Clark Lea and Co. Curtis committed to Georgia for the second time in May, choosing the Bulldogs over Oregon.

The addition of Curtis propels Vandy up 15 spots to No. 30 in the Rivals Industry Team Recruiting Rankings. It remains to be seen what kind of recruiting momentum this will provide the program with National Signing Day already here.

Vandy began to emerge this fall, but many wrote it off. Curtis was on campus in his hometown and continued to give things a hard look. Kirby Smart, Mike Bobo and the UGA staff stayed steady in their pursuit to keep Curtis locked in, but things really ramped up on Nov. 22.

Rivals’ Hayes Fawcett reported that Vandy was “picking up real steam” in Curtis’ recruitment. That proved to be true, as the No. 1 quarterback and No. 3 overall prospect in the nation has now flipped to the ‘Dores. He was going to announce a decision on Wednesday morning, but instead opted to go public Tuesday.

Playing from day one has been a focal point for the gunslinger and he’ll have the opportunity to do that in his own backyard.

Who else is committed to Vandy this cycle?

Curtis becomes the lone industry blue-chipper and the lone in-state recruit committed to Lea and the Commodores this cycle. The class now features 21 total commits and just jumped the likes of Wisconsin, Louisville, Virginia Tech, Arizona State, Baylor, Houston and Mississippi State in the team rankings.

Two other top-500 prospects are in the class alongside Curtis in Montgomery Village (Md.) Bullis School safety Chris Tangelo and Owensboro (Ky.) running back Evan Hampton. Tangelo is the No. 11 player in Maryland, while Hampton, who flipped from Louisville, is the No. 4 player in the Bluegrass.

Texas is easily the most represented state in the class. Six commits hail from the Lone Star State, including Midland interior offensive lineman Pulelei’ite Primus, Katy Paetow defensive lineman Daryl Campbell and Plano safety Bradley Brown, who flipped from TCU.

Other top commits in the class include: Harrisburg (N.C.) Mooresville EDGE Jace McCallum, Orangeburg (S.C.) Prep tight end Tilden Riley, Oxford (Miss.) safety Collin Flanigan, Harmony (Pa.) Seneca Valley TE Adam Gehm and Queen Creek (Ariz.) Basha cornerback Mason Lewis.

The entire class can be seen here.