Overview
- Vanderbilt confirmed on Tuesday that senior Blaze Berlowitz will start the season opener against Austin Peay on Sept. 5 and that five-star true freshman Jared Curtis will receive his first college snaps in that game.
- Berlowitz is a transfer from New Mexico State who served as Pavia’s primary backup and saw limited game action last season, completing 9-of-17 passes for 131 yards and a touchdown while rushing 11 times for 81 yards and a touchdown.
- Curtis was the No. 4 overall prospect in 247Sports’ Composite for the 2026 class and flipped his commitment from Georgia to Vanderbilt in December 2025, making him the highest-ranked recruit in school history.
- The starting decision centers on replacing Diego Pavia, who finished second in Heisman Trophy voting after a breakout 2025 season, with published reports differing on his exact 2025 totals (one source aggregates 4,401 yards and 39 TDs while another splits 3,539 passing/29 passing TDs and 862 rushing/10 rushing TDs).
- Vanderbilt was picked 13th in the SEC preseason media poll and the coaching staff’s choice to prioritize experience for Week 1 underscores a short-term bid to sustain the program’s recent rise while evaluating Curtis’s role through limited early game action.