Jared Curtis is still early in his college career, but Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea says the freshman quarterback is beginning to grow into the kind of voice the offense can follow.
Curtis arrived on campus carrying the quiet kind of confidence that doesn’t announce itself. He is about to make just his fifth career start, which makes the leadership part of the job even more unusual for a player with so little experience. Still, Lea has noticed a shift.
“He’s very humble, modest, and confident in himself. But the kind of confidence that I think grows connections with the people around him.
And what I see right now in our program is I see older players, veteran players giving him space to become a leader,” Lea said. “When guys like Cade McConnell, MK and Cole give him the space to lead and give him room for his voice, you start to see that group kind of rallying around him.”
That growth has been gradual, and Lea made clear it is not something that happens overnight. He believes Curtis is moving in the right direction early on, even as the role keeps expanding on him.
The challenge, of course, is that Curtis is stepping into a massive void left by Diego Pavia. Pavia helped push Vanderbilt back into the national conversation and was a driving force behind the program’s first 10-win season a year ago. Replacing that kind of production and presence is no easy assignment.
It also means Vanderbilt is still working week to week to figure out exactly what Curtis does best, where he still needs the most development, and how the staff can tailor things around him. Because Curtis is not the same quarterback as Pavia or backup Blaze Berlowitz, the offense has had to bend a bit to fit his strengths.
“I think a lot of time this would be similar to having a rookie quarterback play in the NFL. You have a talent and a skillset that’s different. You have a system that evolved to fit Diego’s strength and now you have this player, who has parts of Diego’s competitive personality and parts of that big game ability Jared does, but he’s got a different skillet,” Lea said.
In a perfect setup, Lea would prefer the entire operation around Curtis to lighten his load. If all three phases were clicking, the quarterback wouldn’t have to shoulder so much so soon.
That hasn’t been the reality so far. Operational penalties on offense, special teams mistakes and defensive breakdowns have repeatedly put Vanderbilt behind since SEC play began, forcing Curtis and the offense into tough spots.
Even so, Lea said he sees Curtis earning trust inside the huddle and settling into the leadership role more naturally. If that development carries onto the field this weekend, Vanderbilt could give itself a real shot against an AP Top 15 opponent.
“We need to play stronger around him. I think we’re doing a good job as an offensive staff identifying the things he does well.
I see the connections growing in that shuffle with respect to his leadership voice and his ability to galvanize that ground,” Lea said. “All those are positive signs for where this is headed and hopefully it shows up for us on Saturday.”
In Other News...
Vanderbilt Heads To Kentucky With Injury Questions It Cant Ignore
Vanderbilt heads into its fifth SEC game with the injury report already shaping the conversation around Saturdays trip to No. 12 Kentucky. The Commodores have been dealing with a growing list of absences, including season-ending injuries to Gunner Givens and Aaron Bryant, and the availability chart around the roster has become a weekly subplot as the conference grind wears on.
Brian Allen Jr. is also on the injured list, leaving another hole for a team that can ill afford to be thin in a matchup like this. Beyond the confirmed losses, Vanderbilt is still sorting through several players whose status is less certain, with a few names hovering in the questionable, probable and doubtful range as kickoff gets closer. [Read more 🡒]
Why Clark Lea Finally Reimagined Davin Chandlers Role
Davin Chandlers path has taken a meaningful turn in Vanderbilts secondary, where Clark Lea has formally shifted him from safety to cornerback and started using him as a nickel corner. It is the kind of move that says as much about a players adaptability as it does about a coachs willingness to rethink a roster, and Chandlers recent work has given the staff reason to keep leaning into it.
Lea has pointed to Chandlers strong play and the way he has handled the transition, with the junior carving out a useful role in recent games and adding needed depth behind a starter at cornerback. For Vanderbilt, the bigger question now is how far that versatility can carry him as the Commodores keep sorting out their defensive backfield. [Read more 🡒]
Vanderbilt Still Has To Live With One Huge Quarterback Decision
Clark Leas recent comments on quarterback Kenny Minchey brought an old recruiting fork in the road back into view for Vanderbilt, and it is one the Commodores have no choice but to live with now. Minchey, a Nashville native who left Notre Dame for Kentucky, was once part of the discussion in Nashville before Vanderbilt moved on, and Lea made clear he still holds respect for the player and the person as the two programs head into another meeting.
For Vanderbilt, the bigger picture is tied to the quarterback path it chose instead. Leas confidence in Jared Curtis remains the programs long-term answer at the position, which is why the Minchey storyline matters less as a regret than as a reminder of how quickly these decisions can shape a rosters future. Saturday offers another chance for the Commodores to see a familiar local name on the other sideline, even if the more important question in Nashville is still whether Curtis can eventually steady the job for good. [Read more 🡒]