Vanderbilt will take a shot with its hot-shot freshman quarterback on Saturday afternoon when it faces North Carolina State in Nashville, Tenn.
Ranked as the No. 2 overall recruit in the 2026 high school class by 247Sports, Jared Curtis got the official nod Tuesday from coach Clark Lea to start on Saturday for the Commodores (2-0).
Curtis, who went to high school 10 miles away from FirstBank Stadium in Nashville, made relief appearances for then-starter Blaze Berlowitz during Vanderbilt’s first two games.
Curtis played well last week in the Commodores’ 35-26 win over Delaware, completing 14 of 22 passes for 210 yards and a touchdown. He added two rushing scores.
Berlowitz, a senior, was benched after just two drives, completing 3 of 9 passes for 29 yards.
Despite Lea giving the job to Berlowitz to start the season, the Commodores’ coach said Curtis is ready to take the reins.
“I think what we have clarity on now is this gives us the best chance to win,” Lea said. “And I think with Jared, it’s understanding the potential and the positive long-term outlook. But what he showed on Saturday was that he’s ready for this now.”
NC State (1-1) rebounded from a 34-8 setback vs. Virginia on Aug. 29 with a record-setting victory last week at home.
The Wolfpack won 73-0 against Richmond to set the record for the most points scored at Carter-Finley Stadium. NC State had 734 yards of offense, including 428 via rushing, with both marks setting program records.
Jayden Scott had 128 rushing yards on nine carries as well as two of the Wolfpack’s eight rushing touchdowns. Quarterback CJ Bailey completed 13 of 17 passes for 281 yards and two touchdowns (one rushing, one passing).
“It’s building on what we just did and learning from what happened in the first game, seeing the improvement in the second, and then continuing to be able to go out and play well and put ourselves in position to win this next football game,” coach Dave Doeren said Monday.
