If you turn a blue chip quarterback recruit loose, and he comes back, then it was truly meant to be.
Grateful! 100% Committed. See y’all in Athens! pic.twitter.com/l72TjrFr7D
— Jared Curtis 2026 QB (@Jaredcurtis37) May 5, 2025
Kirby & Co. got a big boost for the class of 2026 this afternoon when Nashville Christian signal caller Jared Curtis committed to the Red and Black over fellow finalist Oregon. Curtis had committed to Georgia in March of last year but backed off that pledge in order to take some visits and make sure he was choosing the right situation. In the end, he’ll end up in Athens after all.
Curtis is the top ranked player in the state of Tennessee for this class, the #1 ranked quarterback in the nation in the 247Sports Composite rankings and the second highest ranked player in the entire class regardless of position. He’s behind only Missouri offensive tackle Jackson Cantwell, another UGA target who’s set to announce his decision next week.
As we sometimes say around here, there are commitments, and there are big commitments. Curtis is certainly the latter. The 6’3, 225 pound rising senior is among the most polished quarterbacks in this class. He has started since his freshman year and has shown improvement both in his passing fundamentals and football IQ as he has progressed. After struggling with turnovers early in his career Curtis came into his own as a junior, hitting over 70% of his passes and racking up 2830 passing yards, and 40 touchdowns versus only 3 interceptions. While he’s more of a pocket passer than a dual threat, Curtis also ran for 18 touchdowns last season.
Curtis’s decision puts the ‘Dawgs at #17 in the 247Sports recruiting rankings. That’s obviously a lot lower than fans are used to seeing Coach Smart’s squad, but the ranking comes with some major caveats. For one, the Athenians only have 8 public commitments, the fewest of any team in the top 20. The Bulldog staff is in on just as many elite, national top 100 recruits as in years past, but they have been very deliberative in taking players thus far. There’s also widespread belief that the Bulldogs may have several other players who have committed privately.
Second, the word in recruiting circles had been that some other major targets were waiting for Curtis to make his intentions known before finalizing their own. He is one of those recruits who has the potential to be a bell cow, bringing other top talent with him. We should know fairly soon whether that is the case. Until later…
Go ‘Dawgs!!!