Kirby Smart not worried about Vanderbilt ‘propaganda’ and Jared Curtis
ATHENS — Kirby Smart isn’t all that worried about what comedian Nate Bargatze has to say. Specifically, when it comes to attempting to woo Georgia quarterback commit Jared Curtis.
Bargatze made multiple references to Curtis when the former appeared as the guest picker on ESPN’s “College GameDay” on Saturday. Bargatze is a known Vanderbilt fan, and Curtis was on campus for the game. Curtis doubles as a Nashville native.
Smart isn’t allowed to publicly comment on Curtis, as he is still a high school recruit. But the Georgia coach was asked about Bargatze’s comments during his Monday news conference.
“I don’t get caught up in it much,” Smart said. “I don’t look at the stuff like that. We recruit the best job we can and sell what we have and talk to the kids and communicate with the kids that we talk to, and trust them for what they tell us and not get into gimmicks and propaganda stuff.”
Curtis is the No. 1-ranked quarterback prospect in the 2026 recruiting cycle, per the Rivals Industry Rankings. He committed to Georgia over Oregon in May.
The visit to Vanderbilt made multiple headlines last week, in large part because of the success Vanderbilt has had this season. After a 17-10 win over Missouri, the Commodores are now 7-1 on the season and ranked No. 9 in the most recent AP poll.
Bargatze was not the only comedian with Curtis on his mind this weekend, as the 5-star quarterback prospect shared on his Instagram story that he spent time with Theo Von as well.
For all the attention the Vanderbilt visit attracted, Curtis did try to downplay the significance of the visit.
“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 told DawgNation before the visit. “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 Smart and (offensive coordinator Mike) Bobo, and he is so excited to get to Athens as an early enrollee.”
Bobo was in attendance to see Curtis play Friday, where he once again led Nashville Christian School to a win.
Curtis is expected to be back in Athens for Georgia’s Nov. 15 game against Texas. Curtis has been a regular attendee at Georgia home games this season.
Georgia currently has the No. 2-ranked recruiting class, with Curtis being the highest-rated commitment in the class.
The earliest Curtis can sign is Dec. 3. Until then, he is only a committed prospect to the Georgia Bulldogs, giving schools such as Vanderbilt the opportunity to try to flip him.
About the Author
Connor Riley has been covering the University of Georgia since 2014 before moving to DawgNation full-time before the 2018 season. He helps in all areas of the site such as team coverage, recruiting, video production, social media and podcasting. He graduated from the University of Georgia in 2016.
