5-star quarterback Jared Curtis, former Georgia football commit, announces top 6 schools
Jared Curtis, the nation’s top class of 2026 quarterback prospect, will likely take unofficial visits and official visits over the next five or six months before making his final college commitment.
The five-star quarterback and former Georgia football commitment released his top six schools — Auburn, Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State, Oregon and South Carolina — Wednesday with On3′s Hayes Fawcett.
While they were not presented as his final contenders, it would be pretty difficult for any team to wedge itself in among those six at this point.
Among the 2025 class, Georgia signed the nation’s No. 11 QB prospect in four-star Ryan Montgomery, who suffered a season-ending knee injury last fall and is expected to redshirt for 2025. The Bulldogs also have the nation’s No. 10 QB and No. 114 overall recruit from the 2024 class (Ryan Puglisi) on campus.
Puglisi expected to compete with four-star 2022 signee Gunner Stockton for the starting role next season. Stockton, based on his experience in Athens, is the favorite to win that job going into spring drills.
Georgia offensive coordinator Mike Bobo visited Curtis at his home last week. They watched the Orange Bowl between Notre Dame and Penn State together.
Curtis led his Nashville Christian team to a state title last fall. The 6-foot-4, 220-pound rising senior completed 70 percent of his passes for 2,830 yards with 40 touchdowns and three interceptions. He also ran for 637 yards and 18 scores at a clip of 7.2 yards per attempt.
He was named “Mr. Football” for the Volunteer State and also chosen as the 2024 Gatorade Player of the Year for the state of Tennessee.
He was committed to Georgia for a time but backed off that pledge, saying he wanted to take more visits and didn’t feel right doing so as a UGA commitment. When he visited UGA for the Tennessee game in November, he said: “I’d say I’m still interested in Georgia as long as they are interested in me.”
As Curtis’ recruiting process continues, it is worth noting a few things:
- Alabama, Georgia and Ohio State have been the mainstays in his process
- Auburn, Oregon and South Carolina are the newcomers since his fall de-commitment from UGA
- Alabama, Ohio State and Auburn all signed a Top 5 QB prospect in the 2025 cycle.
- Alabama signed the nation’s No. 2 QB (Keelon Russell) and the expectation around the program is the hope for him to earn the starting job as soon as he can.
- The Crimson Tide did not have a 2024 signee on their roster last season, but they did bring in 4-star Austin Mack (Class of 2023) from Washington with first-year-coach Kalen Deboer’s staff.
- Ohio State signed the nation’s No. 3 QB and No. 3 overall prospect in dual-threat Tavien St. Clair. The Ohio native was easily one of the most physically impressive QBs out at the Elite 11 this past cycle, if not the clear “Alpha” talent.
- The Buckeyes also still have the nation’s No. 1 QB prospect and No. 6 overall recruit from the 2024 cycle on the roster in former 5-star Julian Sayin.
- Auburn signed near 5-star Deuce Knight in the last class. Knight was rated as the nation’s No. 5 QB and the No. 32 overall prospect for the 247Sports Composite. The long-term future in Auburn, as for now, looks to be in Knight’s hands.
- The Tigers also brought in former 5-star QB Jackson Arnold from the transfer portal in this cycle. Arnold was ranked as the nation’s No. 4 QB and No. 8 overall recruit when he signed with Oklahoma in 2023. He will have two more seasons of eligibility at Auburn.
- Oregon brought in the nation’s No. 3 QB and No. 4 overall prospect (Dante Moore) from 2023 from the transfer portal prior to last season. They signed two QBs in the 2025 cycle, but the highest-rated of those quickly hit the portal and signed with Cal. The Ducks still have legacy QB Akili Smith Jr. on their roster. He was the nation’s No. 17 QB and the No. 197 overall recruit in 2025.
- The Ducks also have the nation’s No. 10 QB prospect from the 2023 cycle on the depth chart in former 4-star Austin Novosad. He was the No. 126 overall prospect.
- South Carolina only signed a 3-star QB in its 2025 class. Talented playmaker LaNorris Sellers will be a redshirt sophomore in 2025, but he will be draft-eligible after next season. They also brought in talented Ohio State transfer (and Georgia native) Air Noland in the portal last month. Noland was the nation’s No. 7 QB prospect in 2024.
- The Gamecocks, even with the Noland transfer, is the most QB-needy program among his top six. They haven’t signed a Top 10 or even a 4-star QB prospect out of high school since 2020.
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.
