Vanderbilt took a 5-star QB from UGA because the world is magic sometimes

Vanderbilt isn't content with one year as an elite college football program.

The 13th ranked Commodores are coming off their most successful season since the Southeastern Conference came into existence. 10 total wins and six conference wins are both school records. Diego Pavia, plucked from obscurity by New Mexico State and then plucked from New Mexico State alongside coaches Jerry Kill and Tim Beck as well as teammates Eli Stowers and MK Young, has a bonafide shot to win 2025's Heisman Trophy.

That's brought unforeseen levels of excitement to Nashville. It's fair to wonder if that will last. Pavia won an extra year of eligibility before 2025 by arguing his time in junior college did not allow him to take part in NCAA name, image and likeness deals. This was his last hurrah in college. Replacing a player of his caliber -- not just playmaking and clutch throws but the swagger and confidence he brings to the lineup -- is a nearly impossible task.

Fortunately there's a five-star recruit in town who can help. On Tuesday, he spurned the University of Georgia -- and the Bulldogs' seven top five finishes in the last eight seasons -- in order to play for the football team SEC rivals derisively call "little bro."

Jared Curtis is a five-star quarterback from Nashville Christian High School. 247Sports' composite ranks him as the top recruit in the nation for 2026. He had offers from Alabama, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Michigan, Texas, Southern California and a litany of college football blue bloods. But after spending the bulk of his senior year committed to Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs, he made the late flip and opted to stay home with the rising power in Music City.

In prior years this would have been unfathomable. He's the first five-star recruit in program history. James Franklin built a pair of nine-win teams thanks to his prowess bringing prospects to campus. His biggest pull was four-star defensive lineman Nifae Lealao, who is one of only two top 100 composite recruits to suit up for the Commodores. Vandy's 2025 incoming class featured a singly top 1000 player, per 247.

But Vanderbilt has more to offer than just NIL money from a wealthy alumni base more engaged than ever before. The former Vanderbilt Stadium has been massively upgraded, bringing in local fans to help build something approaching a homefield advantage in Nashville. The Dores are targeting and keeping vital players through the transfer portal, upgrading 2024's seven-win team into this season's 10-win wagon. Curtis, reportedly, had developed strong bonds with the coaching staff and particularly offensive coordinator Beck -- the same man who developed Pavia from potential meme player to bonafide star.

Pavia's departure clears a path for Curtis to step in immediately. While he'll suffer from the graduations of Stowers and a handful of starters on both sides of the ball, head coach Clark Lea and his staff have proven they can patch the roster around him. Recruiting players to Nashville just got a lot easier with a freshman dynamo potentially behind center.

Of course, Curtis' commitment doesn't mean anything until he signs his letter of intent. That doesn't mean anything until he steps on the field. And if he doesn't like what he sees, he can try his luck elsewhere -- see 2023's blue chip quarterback crop behind Arch Manning for more. That flexibility probably helped the Commodores sell the risk of coming to a program with five bowl wins... ever.

For now, the news pumps Vanderbilt up to a potential top 25 recruiting class and gives the program a viable Pavia exit strategy beyond elevating backup Blaze Berlowitz (who has been good enough in late-game reps to make 2026 an actual quarterback competition should he stay). It's a victory on paper only, but it's one completely foreign to Vanderbilt. That makes it one worth celebrating.

Curtis' flip furthers the success of Athletic Director Candice Storey Lee's investment in athletics at a university most commonly known as the SEC's nerd school. The baseball team is coming off a conference title and top overall seed at the 2025 NCAA Tournament (please do not ask how that went). Women's soccer earned a No. 1 seed at this year's NCAA Tournament before a double-overtime exit at the doorstep of the final four. Both the men's and women's basketball teams are currently ranked after years of hacking their way through the wilderness and hoping for NIT bids. The Commodores remain one of the nation's elite bowling universities.

However, the school's new logo remains awful.

This article originally appeared on For The Win: Vanderbilt took a 5-star QB from UGA because the world is magic sometimes