Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart enters Week 13 of his 10th season with an incredible 114-20 record at UGA. But all that winning isn’t by chance or the product of coaching alone. Smart has said himself that great coaches need great players to win. And thanks to a steady run of top-five recruiting classes, Georgia has exactly that.
Since taking the reins of UGA’s football program in 2016, Smart has delivered 8 top-three recruiting classes for the Dawgs, per 247Sports. Looking forward, Georgia’s 2026 class is ranked No. 3 by 247Sports and is shaping up to be another championship builder. The loaded class is headlined by the No. 1 QB recruit in America — Jared Curtis from Nashville, Tennessee.
Georgia has had a great lineage of quarterbacks over the last 25 years, including current Heisman hopeful Gunner Stockton. There’s been some really highly ranked recruits as well, like Jacob Eason, Matthew Stafford, Justin Fields and Aaron Murray. Currently, Curtis ranks as the second-highest-rated quarterback Georgia’s ever had (though he’s not yet signed), behind Fields.
The highly sought-after recruit was in Athens this past weekend for the win over Texas and, by all accounts, appears ready to be a Dawg. Still, questions surfaced in recent weeks after the Nashville native visited a Vanderbilt practice and later showed up when College GameDay was on campus for a Vandy game.
Despite that, the message from Curtis and those around him has remained consistent: he’s set on Georgia. He said as much when asked about the Vanderbilt visit in October.
On Tuesday, though, a new quote surfaced from Curtis’ camp, reportedly outlining his goal for his true freshman season. Rivals reported that a source close to the QB said Curtis wants to “play as a true freshman at the school of his choice.”
“He does not want to sit,” the source told Rivals.
If this is the case, it could add real intrigue to his recruitment. But let’s also be real: it’s not like Curtis isn’t aware of the situation in Athens. Stockton is expected to return for the Dawgs in 2026. Meanwhile, Vandy will be looking to find Diego Pavia’s replacement. Pavia is in his final year of eligibility.
As Steve Wiltfong of Rivals wrote, Georgia’s been upfront with Curtis about what the deal is. And if he does indeed follow through on his commitment to UGA, he’ll likely be competing for a backup spot behind Gunner next year.
Via Wiltfong and Rivals:
“The staff in Athens is very aware of Curtis’s ambition to play in year one. Georgia, of course, has been very upfront with Curtis about their quarterback room next fall, with Kirby Smart and offensive coordinator Mike Bobo telling him he’ll have a chance to compete for the backup job and then hopefully see the field some in that role behind their Heisman candidate Gunner Stockton.”
Wiltfong also mentioned that a few other things have to happen before Curtis could even seriously consider the hometown Commodores. Per Wiltfong, Vandy must first:
- Make an NIL offer to Curtis. Apparently, it’s coming, and it will be competitive, Wiltfong wrote.
- Lock down head coach Clark Lea with a contract extension to ensure he won’t leave for an opening at a place like Auburn, LSU or Florida.
In his junior year, the Nashville (Tenn.) Christian School QB had 3,467 total yards, 58 total touchdowns and only 3 interceptions, per MaxPreps. Curtis led his team to a state title in 2024 and was named Mr. Football and Gatorade Player of the Year in Tennessee.
As UGA fans would be happy to hear, many have compared the 18-year-old’s talent and strong arm to Georgia legend Matthew Stafford.
Again, it’s important to note that Curtis has remained a vocal member of UGA’s 2026 recruiting class.
“It’ll be a fun time. At the end of the day, I’m still a Bulldog,” Curtis told On3’s Hayes Fawcett before a Vandy visit in October.
Georgia will have to hold off every program hoping to flip the No. 1 QB until the early signing period on Dec. 3, when Curtis is expected to sign his letter of intent.
