Vanderbilt may have to keep waiting on Jared Curtis.
On Wednesday, Clark Lea said the Commodores quarterback is still a question mark for Saturday’s matchup with Ole Miss. Curtis sat out Week 5 against Georgia, and while Lea said he is making progress, the coach stopped short of saying the freshman will be ready to go.
“We’re day to day. Jared was unable to play last Saturday and that was disappointing for him and us,” Lea said.
“It’s a process he’s working through. Right now, he’s questionable for the game.
He’s further along this week than he was last week, but we have to continue to see how he responds.”
That leaves Vanderbilt in the same spot it was last week, when Blaze Berlowitz handled the offense in Curtis’ absence. Berlowitz helped keep the Commodores in it early against Georgia, but the Bulldogs pulled away for a 38-14 win in Athens.
Curtis’ status matters because he’s been the centerpiece of Vanderbilt’s long-term plan this season. The true freshman arrived as the No. 4 player in the 2026 recruiting class, per 247Sports Composite rankings, and the Nashville native has already shown why the staff views him as the future. He has completed 64.3% of his passes, going 63-for-98 for 746 yards with four touchdowns and three interceptions.
Vanderbilt enters Saturday at 3-2 overall and 0-2 in SEC play, a record that fits the reality of a rebuilding season. Lea wants wins, but getting Curtis on the field and developing him remains the biggest priority.
The Commodores host Ole Miss at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday on ESPN.
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For a team trying to keep building momentum, that kind of exposure matters just as much as the competition itself. It also gives fans a clearer look at when to circle the calendar, especially with season tickets and single-game tickets already available and specific sale dates on the books. The bigger question, of course, is how Vanderbilt will handle a schedule that comes with this much visibility attached. [Read more 🡒]