In 2024, the Vanderbilt Commodores pulled off a miracle season, and everyone thought that it was a fluke. This season, the Commodores sit at 9-2 with a chance to make the College Football Playoff, and it's starting to look like Clark Lea has built the perfect foundation at Vanderbilt. The detractors of Vanderbilt's success point to this being Diego Pavia's final season and that the Commodores will go back to the basement of the SEC next season.
The point holds some water as Diego Pavia has been truly incredible over the past two seasons while being the face of the program's resurgence. It's going to take a lot to fill Diego Pavia's shoes, but Clark Lea may be able to find it.
Vanderbilt is on the verge of flipping 5-star QB Jared Curtis
On Friday, one piece of Vanderbilt's future was locked into place as Clark Lea signed an extension with the school, keeping the coach who revived the program at Vanderbilt. Now as the Commodores look to replace Diego Pavia, it appears they're going big game hunting.
While the Nation's top-ranked quarterback, Jared Curtis, has been committed to Georgia, Vanderbilt has quietly been chipping away at that commitment over the last several months. On Friday, Rivals' Steve Wiltfong predicted that 5-star quarterback Jared Curtis would flip from Georgia to Vanderbilt.
FONG BOMB: Rivals’ @SWiltfong_ has logged an expert prediction for Vanderbilt to flip Georgia Five-Star Plus+ QB commit Jared Curtis⚓️
— Rivals (@Rivals) November 28, 2025
Read: https://t.co/PJI8EduzFk https://t.co/WcspT4pzCh pic.twitter.com/godH9hFxaV
Flipping Jared Curtis would make for the biggest recruiting win in the history of Vanderbilt's program. The 5-star quarterback is ranked as the 3rd ranked player in the class, the top ranked quarterback in the country, and the top ranked player out of Tennessee.
The Commodores will need to close this one out as Curtis is still committed to Georgia, but they've already made a ton of progress. Curtis could instantly step into the starting lineup for the Commodores, giving Vanderbilt an elite talent at the quarterback position to replace Diego Pavia. Getting Jared Curtis ensures Vanderbilt keeps momentum moving forward, and it could help solidify the Commodores as a new force in the SEC.