By Cole SullivanShareNewsweek is a Trust Project memberWhile the main focus for the No. 4 Georgia Bulldogs is preparing for this weekend’s SEC Championship Game in Atlanta against the No. 10 Alabama Crimson Tide, Bulldogs fans were reminded of another big story on Tuesday.
After seemingly securing a verbal commitment from No. 1-ranked, five-star quarterback Jared Curtis in the Class of 2026, Curtis announced that he would be flipping his commitment from Kirby Smart and Georgia to SEC rival Vanderbilt.
Curtis now becomes the most prominent recruit in Vanderbilt history, and his decision comes just days after head coach Clark Lea signed a major long-term extension with the program, which recently resurged and is potentially on the cusp of a College Football Playoff berth.
More news: Ole Miss Projected to Host SEC Rival in Round 1 of College Football Playoff
Loading twitter content...
More news: Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza Announces Huge Off-Field News
Curtis was committed to Georgia since May and was expected to be the next high-profile quarterback in line to lead a Bulldogs program that was second to none under Kirby Smart’s tenure.
Several weeks ago, Smart even responded on "College GameDay" to guest picker, comedian, and Vanderbilt fan Nate Bargatze, who playfully recruited Curtis to the Commodores program on live television.
"I don't get caught up in it much," Smart said. "You know, I don't look at the stuff like that. We recruit the best job we can and sell what we have and talk to the kids and communicate with the kids that we talk to, and trust them for what they tell us and not get into gimmicks and propaganda stuff."
...While Bargatze was likely not the sole reason Curtis flipped his commitment, it certainly comes as a shock to Bulldogs fans in Athens, Georgia, who believed they secured their next star quarterback for the program. Now, they’ll be facing him for years to come at an SEC rival.
More news: Top Penn State Candidate Eliminated From Coaching Search: Report
Request Reprint & LicensingSubmit CorrectionView Editorial & AI Guidelines
Add Newsweek as a preferred source on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search.Recommended For You
NCAALane Kiffin Won’t Coach LSU’s Next Game2 min read
NCAAPenn State Coaching Favorite Addresses Growing Rumors3 min read
NCAAFlorida Dealt Bad News Quickly Following Jon Sumrall Hiring3 min read
NCAAOregon Makes Controversial Coaching Decision for College Football Playoff3 min read
NCAASteve Spurrier Has Strong Reaction to Florida Hiring Jon Sumrall as Head Coach2 min read
NCAA4-Star Auburn Commit Has Concerning Reaction to Alex Golesh Hire2 min readRelated Podcasts
Top Stories
Live BlogPutin Issues Stark Warning to Europe As He Meets Witkoff, Kushner—Live Updates3 min read
NewsDonald Trump Is Trying to Mold Latin America in His Own Image8 min read
NewsUncommon Knowledge: What Europe Can Teach Trump about Immigration6 min read
PoliticsDonald Trump Shares Health Update Amid MRI Questions2 min read
U.S.Aileen Cannon Issued Update on Release of Jack Smith’s Trump Report6 min read
WorldPutin ‘Ready to Fight’ NATO Allies5 min readTrending
WeatherList of Schools Closed Tuesday as Snowstorm Hits4 min read
ImmigrationGreen Card Update: New Changes for Holders in December6 min read
ViralCat Arrives at Vet for Neuter, Staff Not Ready for What’s in the Carrier3 min read
Black FridayBlack Friday Spending Raises Eyebrows Over US Economy8 min read
PollsTennessee Special Election Day: Final Polls, Predictions4 min readOpinion
OpinionBridging the AI Velocity Gap | Opinion5 min read
OpinionPaving the Way Forward—It’s Time To Build the Roads and Bridges to America’s Next Golden Age | Opinion4 min read
OpinionConventional Wisdom: Pope Visits Turkey and Lebanon Edition3 min read
OpinionForeign Energy Companies Have No Home in Our Forests | Opinion4 min read
OpinionThe Hemp Ban Shows America Still Works | Opinion4 min read