Touted Vandy freshman QB Curtis to start vs. NC State

• 

  Eli LedermanSep 15, 2026, 02:26 PM ET

  Close

  Eli Lederman covers college football and recruiting for ESPN.com. He joined ESPN in 2024 after covering the University of Oklahoma for Sellout Crowd and the Tulsa World.

Vanderbilt freshman quarterback Jared Curtis will start against NC State on Saturday, Commodores coach Clark Lea announced Wednesday.

Curtis, a five-start recruit and ESPN's No. 1 pocket passer in the 2026 class, has appeared in both of Vanderbilt's games this fall, operating behind senior passer Blaze Berlowitz. The 6-foot-3 passer from Nashville takes over after accounting for three of the program's four touchdowns in a 35-26 win over Delaware last weekend.

Curtis, once a longtime Georgia commit, flipped his pledge to the hometown Commodores on the eve of the early signing period last December. He was ESPN's No. 12 overall prospect in the 2026 cycle and joined the program in January as the highest-rated signee in school history.

Viewed as the long-term successor to 2025 Heisman Trophy runner-up, Curtis competed for the starting quarterback job across spring and fall camp before Lea gave the nod to Berlowitz on August 25.

Berlowitz, who began his career at New Mexico State with Vanderbilt offensive coordinator Tim Beck, started each of the program's first two games and completed only three of his nine passes for 29 yards against Delaware. Curtis finished the Week 2 win with 14 completions on 22 attempts for 210 yards and his first career passing touchdown, adding a pair of rushing scores on either side of halftime.

With SEC play on the horizon, Curtis will make his debut college start at home Saturday when the Commodores (2-0) host NC State (1-1) at 12:45 ET (SEC Network).