Vanderbilt has made its call at quarterback, and it’s not the one most people expected when the offseason started.
Clark Lea has named senior Blaze Berlowitz the Commodores’ starter to open the 2026 season, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, ending a preseason battle that had centered on five-star freshman Jared Curtis. When Curtis flipped from Georgia to Vanderbilt late in the recruiting cycle last offseason, the assumption around the program was that he’d be the guy from day one. Lea spent the offseason pushing back on that idea, and now his decision has made that stance plain.
Berlowitz arrives at the job with senior status, but not much starting mileage. He transferred to Vanderbilt from New Mexico State with Diego Pavia after the 2023 season, sat out 2024, and then played only in limited action during the 2025 campaign.
His résumé includes modest production in limited opportunities. As a freshman at New Mexico State, Berlowitz went 10-of-19 for 134 yards, one touchdown and one interception and added 36 rushing yards. Last season, as a junior, he completed 9-of-17 passes for 131 yards and a touchdown while also running for 81 yards as Pavia’s backup.
Curtis, meanwhile, came in with major recruiting buzz. The 6-foot-4 quarterback was a five-star prospect, the No. 4 player in the 2026 recruiting cycle according to the 247sports composite rankings, and the No. 2 quarterback in the class behind Houston’s Keisean Henderson and just ahead of Tennessee’s Faizon Brandon. He starred at Nashville Christian School, where he played in the smallest private school league in Tennessee, and that background created a steep adjustment as he moved into SEC football.
Berlowitz may be the starter now, but the schedule will put that job under pressure quickly. Vanderbilt opens with two buy games before a stretch that includes NC State, Auburn, Georgia, Ole Miss, Arkansas and Kentucky, followed by a late October open date.
And Tennessee is still on the calendar at the very end. The Vols won’t see Vanderbilt until the final week of the regular season, when they head to Nashville looking to bounce back from last year’s 45-24 loss at Neyland Stadium. That win snapped Vanderbilt’s six-game skid against Tennessee and capped a 10-2 regular season, including a 6-2 mark in the SEC, the best in program hisory.
In Other News...
Tennessee Fans Need To Know Neylands New Game Day Plan
The University of Tennessee at Knoxville is rolling out a new traffic and parking setup around Neyland Stadium this fall, aiming to make football game days run a little smoother and a little safer. Fans who already have parking passes will be directed along designated routes and can also use shuttle options, while those without passes are being steered toward downtown parking and shuttle service instead of driving straight into the stadium area.
For Volunteers fans, the bigger change may be the amount of planning now required before kickoff. Several roads will be closed on game days, and the university is increasing police presence to help manage the flow of traffic around the stadium. It is the kind of behind-the-scenes adjustment that can make a long Saturday feel less chaotic, even if it means a different routine for anyone used to the old Neyland approach. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessee Is Finally Taking On Neylands Biggest Gameday Frustration
For years, one of the most familiar complaints around Neyland Stadium has had nothing to do with what happens between the lines. Tennessee Athletics, working with local partners, has now developed and tested new gameday traffic patterns that are set to go into place beginning with the 2026 football season opener, a move designed to make the trip to and from South Knoxville feel a lot less like a test of patience.
The plan spells out designated routes for fans with parking passes and gives guidance for those without them, while police and consultants will help manage traffic more aggressively on the back end to improve departures after events. It is the kind of behind-the-scenes fix that usually only gets noticed when it works, but for a stadium experience as big as Neylands, smoothing out the bottlenecks could end up mattering as much to fans as anything on the field. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessee Freshman Gabriel Osenda Is Giving Vols Hope And A New Worry
Gabriel Osenda arrived in Knoxville in January and has spent preseason doing the kind of work that gets a young offensive tackle noticed quickly. The Tennessee freshman has been taking reps at both left and right tackle, and line coach Glen Elarbee has already put him in the same conversation as current starter Jesse Perry, which tells you how seriously the staff views his long-term upside.
The flip side is the part Tennessee has to watch closely. Osenda recently dealt with a lower-body injury severe enough to leave him in a walking boot and on crutches after the Vols first scrimmage, a reminder that promising linemen can go from intriguing depth piece to roster concern in a hurry. For Tennessee, the hope is obvious - a young tackle who could push for a starting job down the line - but so is the worry about how much time he can spend on the practice field between now and the opener. [Read more 🡒]