Vanderbilt names Blaze Berlowitz the Week 1 starter, with freshman Jared Curtis set to play

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Vanderbilt will start senior Blaze Berlowitz in the Commodores' season opener Sept. 5 against Austin Peay, with coach Clark Lea saying Thursday that freshman Jared Curtis also will play.

Lea also said this decision is only for the opener. The best 11 will start each game during the season for a program that finished last season ranked 15th with a 10-3 record. Lea said the competition has been close.

“It's best for our offense to organize in the first game around Blaze taking the first snaps,” Lea said. “He has earned the right to do that. I think he has had a consistent camp, and Jared's earned a right to play. This guy's been ascending.”

Berlowitz gets the first chance to replace Heisman Trophy runner-up Diego Pavia after following him from New Mexico State to Vanderbilt. The native of Cushing, Oklahoma, didn't play as a sophomore in 2024 and appeared in six games as a junior when he was 9 of 17 for 131 yards and a touchdown.

The 6-foot-3 Curtis got a lot of attention for flipping his commitment from Georgia to his hometown school, becoming the highest-ranked recruit ever to sign with Vanderbilt last December. He was the nation’s No. 4 overall recruit in his class, according to the 247Sports Composite.

Curtis threw for more than 9,500 career yards and rushed for more than 2,100 yards at Nashville Christian Academy, where he was Tennessee’s Gatorade player of the year. He's dealing with the jump from playing in a private school division to the Southeastern Conference, but has a 30-pound edge on the 200-pound Berlowitz.

Lea said he's excited to see both quarterbacks play. Vanderbilt wants to give Curtis more time to develop in games rather than simply tab Berlowitz the starter and give the senior all the work with the first-team offense. Vanderbilt has no set number of snaps for either quarterback.

“All I know is Blaze will go out first and that Jared will play, and I'm excited to see them both,” Lea said.

Lea wants to see Berlowitz protect the ball, play within himself and find chances to make big plays. Curtis will have to show how he operates and is able to slow down the game to run the offense. ___

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