5-star Georgia QB commit’s huge year among notable recruiting storylines
Jared Curtis is checking every box for a 5-star passer these days. The Georgia football commit won a Tennessee state title at Nashville Christian as a junior, but this year, he’s making his case for the No. 1 overall player in America.
Curtis has a pair of six-touchdown nights, including last week when he tallied those six scores in the first half. Curtis has beaten two Top 5 teams from higher classifications, impressing former NFL players in attendance.
Matt Hasselbeck, an 18-year NFL vet, was on the staff of the Triple-A Enworth team Curtis and his Single-A Eagles beat in overtime. Curtis ran for three scores, threw for three more and scripted out the game-tying two-point play on the sidelines to force overtime.
“Thought our guys played well and had a good plan, but he just went above the Xs and Os on a lot of plays,” Hasselbeck said.
Nashville Christian coach Jeff Brothers is emphatic it is past time to dismiss talk that Curtis puts up big numbers only against small private schools.
The 6-foot-3, 230-pound future Bulldog has now thrown for 106 career scores and just 22 interceptions while also scoring an additional 42 times with his legs.
Curtis plans to visit Vanderbilt this week, but his agent emphasized his commitment to Georgia.
“Jared is pumped to go to the game this Saturday with coaches and teammates, and it was very neat for him to visit Vandy and attend a practice,” Curtis’ agent Peter Webb said. “Nashville is a great city and lots to cheer about right now for his hometown team.
“But he is pumped to be a Dawg and thrilled to have a chance to play for such an incredible program and staff. Jared is very fortunate to be thought of so highly from coach (Kirby) Smart and (Mike) Bobo, and he is so excited to get to Athens as an early enrollee.”
Commits with question marks
Georgia had 31 commitments earlier this month before four-star linebacker Shadarius Toodle flipped back to Auburn and three-star defensive lineman Corey Howard flipped to Alabama.
Toodle might be a candidate to return depending on Hugh Freeze’s future with the Tigers, which secured his flip by offering his older brother a scholarship. Shadrick Toodle Jr. was at a junior college but committed to Auburn after that offer.
The most unfortunate storylines for this class have been the off-the-field headlines for two of Georgia’s commits. Seven Cloud, a three-star DL prospect in junior college, was committed to Georgia’s 2023 class before he dropped out of McEachern.
He had to get his GED and was rediscovered at the JUCO level. Cloud recommitted to UGA but was charged with a Class B misdemeanor of domestic battery in July.
That was on top of additional misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct and criminal damage to property related to a March incident in which he allegedly destroyed the victim’s cellphone.
Cloud, the No. 1 JUCO recruit for the 247Sports Composite in this cycle, has yet to make a game day appearance this fall.
Four-star cornerback commit Chace Calicut was arrested in Texas this summer and charged with a second-degree felony, accused of alleged involvement in a violent driving incident involving a gun, according to Fox 26 in Houston.
Although his family believes he’ll one day play in Athens, the uncertainty surrounding the charges will be difficult to overcome. He has not been to Athens for a game this fall.
And then there’s the status of 4-star prospect Jae Lamar, the lone running back commit in this class who was dismissed from the Colquitt County team earlier this year.
While he’s back practicing and working out with the team, he has not yet suited up for a game. There has been some discussion that he will return for Friday’s game against Camden County.
If Lamar sees the field Friday night, that’s a good indication he’s worked his way back into good standing on his team. Lamar didn’t play varsity football his first two years of high school because he was placed in an alternative school. He had a breakout junior season that saw him score eight times in his first six games and earn offers from all over the country.
He scored five touchdowns in one game earlier this year against Lee County.
Senior evaluations remain a thing
Smart reminisced at SEC Media Days about a time when future first-round pick Bradley Chubb exploded in his senior year at Hillgrove.
Smart was defensive coordinator at Tuscaloosa at the time, but the Tide had already filled its quota of defensive ends for that class.
It taught him to always keep an eye on seniors who are playing just as well, if not better, than the current commits. Georgia now identifies and closes on several players like that every cycle. That’s what it did last fall with North Atlanta’s Chase Linton and Dennis Uzochukwu at Peachtree Ridge, who were once committed to Rutgers and Georgia State, respectively.
The Bulldogs, knowing they might not sign all 29 of their commits, are also working on a plan to backfill.
Georgia recently offered three-star Paulding County offensive lineman Tyreek Jemison. It has also hosted three-star Florida International commit Qwantavius Wiggins and new state single-game rushing record holder Ty Cummings out of West Laurens. Cummings, another 3-star, is currently committed to Georgia Southern.
The Bulldogs also hosted 5-star Penn State commitment Elijah Littlejohn out of Charlotte and 3-star South Gwinnett LB Terrence Penick for the Ole Miss game. Both are seen as potential replacements for Toodle’s spot in the 2026 class.
There’s also continued interest in unranked New Manchester edge rusher Collin Bussey. Georgia offered the 6-foot-4 Bussey over the summer.
Although the lower-tier prospects may not seem as exciting, the Georgia staff has to consider potential and price in the new NIL revenue-sharing era.
About the Author
Jeff Sentell covers UGA football and recruiting. He is a graduate of UGA's Henry W. Grady College of Journalism and has been a staff writer at news outlets in Alabama, Georgia and Virginia. Prior to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, he was at The Birmingham News and AL.com. He was named the 2005 Georgia Press Association Sportswriter of the Year.
