Diego Pavia helped Vanderbilt land five-star quarterback Jared Curtis

NASHVILLE — In two seasons, Ex Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia The SEC did more than lead the Commodores from Sellar.

The Heisman Trophy runner-up also helped Vanderbilt land a quarterback who could be his successor this coming season.

While five-star prospects Jared Curtis flip from Georgia On Dec. 2 to Vanderbilt, he became the highest-ranked commitment in school history. He was ESPN No. 1-ranked pocket passer In the class of 2026.

During his first four months on campus, Curtis looked the part.

“Some of the things he does, I’ve seen some throws that I probably haven’t seen as a player watching Jay Cutler throw,” said Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea, who played fullback for the Commodores from 2002 to 2004. “Just putting the ball past the linebacker’s ear or throwing a linebacker around.”

Lea will not name a starting quarterback until later this summer. Curtis is locked in a four-way battle for the job. As senior as Pavia Blaze Berlowitz Following offensive coordinator Tim Beck from Vanderbilt State of New Mexico. Jr Whit Muschamp (Texas son of defensive coordinator Will Muschamp) and a sophomore Jack Elliott Also in the mix.

Berlowitz could be the favorite to start in Vanderbilt’s opener against FCS program Austin Peay on Sept. 5. He threw 17 passes in six games as Pavia’s backup last season.

But Curtis was the reason so many Vanderbilt fans flocked to FirstBank Stadium to watch the Black and Gold spring game on April 18.

Curtis completed 5 of 13 passes for 87 yards and did not turn the ball over. He led a scoring drive with a 22-yard pass to a receiver Yes Corey Thomas and a 23-yarder to freshman tailback Evan Hampton.

“He’s got to show that he’s the best of the four,” Lea told ESPN earlier this spring. “There are definitely things that make him unique. His biggest hurdles are pre-snap and post-snap processing. From what I’m learning about him, especially since we’ve seen him a little bit in a competitive environment, he’s got really good instincts.

“It’s not just about the arm talent. I think he sees the field well. If the crowd is separated, he can do whatever a team needs him to do.”

That the Commodores also landed a prospect of Curtis’ ability is further evidence of the program’s ascension under Lea. After being the punching bag in the SEC, Vanderbilt went 17-9 over the past two seasons. The Commodores won their first five games last season before falling 30-14 at Alabama on Oct. 4.

Six days after that loss — on Vanderbilt’s bye week — Pavia helped set the wheels in motion for the Commodores to unexpectedly poach Curtis from the recruiting class of SEC power Georgia.

On October 10, Pavia joined a friend, Josh Smith, whose son played for Nashville Christian, in Nashville Christian School’s 49-42 win against Tyner Academy. When Pavia saw Curtis throw the ball, he asked his friend where the strong-armed quarterback was going to college.

“I show up, and I see this kid playing quarterback and I’m kind of in disbelief,” Pavia told the Tennessean. “I’m like, ‘Does this kid have an offer?'”

Smith told Pavia that Curtis has already committed to play at Georgia.

Pavia’s answer: “This kid needs to come to Vanderbilt. He can stay home.”

Along with his two famous friends, comedians Theo Vaughn and Nat Bargatze, Pavia went to work to make it happen.

“I didn’t know until the second quarter that Diego was in the stands,” Curtis told ESPN. “I went up and talked to her and introduced myself, and then we started texting.”

During a few video conferences, Pavia and the comedian convince Curtis to go to Vanderbilt and meet Leah and Beck. Curtis then attended Vanderbilt’s Oct. 25 home game against No. 15 Missouri. The Commodores outshot the Tigers 17-10 to improve to 7-1, their best start since 1941.

“I came to a few practices and then I went to the Missouri game with my high school head coach,” Curtis said. “Then I talked to Coach Lea and started making connections from there.”

It wasn’t until the Commodores got Curtis on campus that Lea believed they were a real contender in his recruitment.

“He focused on who we were, what we were saying and what the opportunity looked like here,” Lea said. “I think he was drawn in by all of it. I was thrilled that he was really looking into our program and was serious about it being a home for him.”

There was one potential hang-up: After guiding Vanderbilt to one of its best two-year stretches in program history, Lea was linked with coaching openings at Penn State and other programs.

But on November 28, Leah signed a six-year contract extension to stay at his alma mater.

“I felt like we focused on my contract extension, it’s going to put us in a very good position to bring him here,” Lea said. “When he came here and I sat down with him, I knew he was serious about it. We spent a little more time together on the field. Then I was getting word that if you were here, he would want to come here. That’s what I focused on.”

On December 2, Curtis announced that he had rescinded his commitment to Vanderbilt. He signed with the Commodores the next day. He had committed to Georgia twice in the previous two years.

“I think the biggest thing was being at home and creating something that’s never been done before and continuing and improving on what Diego started,” Curtis said.

In his final high school game on Dec. 4, Curtis led Nashville Christian to its second straight Division II state title with a 59-7 victory over University School of Jackson. He threw for 205 yards with five touchdowns and ran for another score.

Curtis finished his high school career ranked No. 2 in state history with 177 touchdowns and 128 passing scores.

At the NFL combine in late February, Pavia told reporters that Curtis told him, “I’m going to win a national championship that you haven’t.”

“I hope they keep going through the roof, and then next year, they go 12-0 and then go to the playoffs,” Pavia said.

This will be a tall task as the Commodores will need to replace more than Pavia. They lost four starting offensive linemen, the star tight end Eli Stowers and leading receiver Tree Richardsonwho moved to Louisville.

Regardless of who wins the starting quarterback job, Vanderbilt’s offense will look different this season. Pavia passed for 3,539 yards with 29 touchdowns and was the team’s leading rusher with 862 yards and 10 scores.

Pavia had 15 carries in a 34-27 loss to Iowa in the ReliaQuest Bowl, while tailback Cedric Alexander And Makhileen Young Matched for four.

“We have to be skilled enough as coaches to understand that we don’t have Diego Pavia out there anymore, and the offense needs to evolve around that person,” Lea said. “And in some ways, we may need to simplify because we lost a ton of snaps at that position.”

The next four-plus months will determine whether Curtis gets that chance.

“From a physical attribute standpoint, he’s right there,” Le told reporters after the spring game. “From a mental processing perspective, this is where we need to cover the ground.

“We don’t expect him or any of these guys to be Diego Pavia. Each of these guys needs to focus on how they strengthen the unit, how they do the little things well, (and) how they make available plays.”