Vanderbilt’s quarterback picture is clear for Week 1, but only for Week 1.
On Tuesday morning, the Commodores announced that Blaze Berlowitz will start against Austin Peay on Sept. 5, beating out five-star true freshman Jared Curtis for the opening nod. That decision set off plenty of conversation online, but it did not close the door on Curtis. Vanderbilt plans to get him on the field in the opener as well, giving him his first college snaps.
Head coach Clark Lea addressed the situation publicly Thursday and made one thing plain: this is not a long-term verdict on the depth chart.
“This is just about the Austin Peay game,” Lea emphasized to the media. “I think that’s really important because I think the actual competition’s been close and I think we’ve seen moments of really strong play from both players.”
For Berlowitz, the assignment against Austin Peay is straightforward - take care of the ball and keep the offense moving efficiently. Curtis’ role is different, but just as important for Vanderbilt’s plan: get his first taste of college football and put the offense in good positions when he’s in command.
Lea’s comments suggest the larger quarterback battle is still alive, even with Berlowitz listed first for the opener. The race for the full-time job is not settled, and the staff is still sorting out who gives the Commodores the best answer over the long haul.
That setup is not exactly ideal. Coaches usually want a clean decision at quarterback, not a split approach to start the season. Lea has tried the multiple-quarterback route before in his Vanderbilt tenure, before the Diego Pavia years, and it did not pay off.
Still, he pushed back on the idea that this version of the plan is the same thing.
“It’s not always ideal. I think we have a unique situation here where we have a young player who has earned the right.
I don’t hold it against Jared that there’s still parts of this he’s learning and growing into. You go back and say ‘Hey, we’re really excited about this guy.
He’s been a great program member for us. He’s shown flashes of brilliant play,” Lea said.
“We have the luxury right now to give him runway because we have a guy who’s earned the right to be out there and be the starter.”
Lea also acknowledged what every coach knows: constant quarterback movement can make things messy. Even so, he believes this is the correct call for Week 1.
There’s no word yet on what the quarterback setup will look like when Vanderbilt plays Delaware on Sept. 12. For now, the only certainty is that the Commodores will open the season with two quarterbacks in the mix.
“This is the right thing to do for the Austin Peay game. That’s our focus.
And what we need to continue to do is be agile and adapt and evolve as we move through the season,” Lea said. “But what we’ve done in the past has no bearing on what we’re doing in the present because the team’s different.
Offensive skills are different, offensive line is different. I think there are a lot of things that give me a lot of excitement about where we’re headed.”
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