October, 2024: A heartbreaking phone call reached Georgia Bulldogs’ head coach, Kirby Smart. On the other side was Jared Curtis—the top quarterback in the Class of 2026. Curtis informed Smart he would be reopening his recruitment. And the reason was simple. “I still love Georgia, but would like to take some more time to explore all my options so I can make the best, most informed decision for my future. I let them [Dawgs’ HC Kirby Smart, and offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Mike Bobo] know it just doesn’t seem right or fair to stay committed while checking out other programs,” the young player said in a social media statement.

You see, the Nashville Christian QB currently has 37 offers from around the country, including Alabama, Miami, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Penn State, Tennessee, Oregon, and Texas. In his sophomore year alone, he finished with nine interceptions while rushing for 543 yards and 13 touchdowns, and put up 180 of 321 in passing for 2,522 yards and 25 thrown TDs. Additionally, in his rookie season, he led Nashville to a blistering 10-3 record and passed for 27 TDs, too! So it’s understandable what makes him an attractive option and why Georgia would go to any lengths to get him back.

Notably, the youngster is set to visit Georgia next month before making a final decision—an opportune moment for the Dawgs HC. But can he make it work? Well, if you ask some industry insiders, he already has…

On November 12, industry insider Rusty Mansell, in a conversation with On3’s Josh Newberg, made some interesting revelations on the QB’s stance. “This is this is important visit…you don’t get to set up an environment like this on official visits. This is what you say, you envision playing in something like this. And this is what Georgia is going to see with Jared Curtis right here….this is a kid that Georgia has been on the whole time…”

“Georgia fans kind of freaked out [after he decommitted]. This is what I’ll tell you Josh: Georgia is very, very much in this thing. You don’t get any points for finishing second with a guy like this. But Georgia’s very much in this. This is another visit to say, ‘Hey, we’re still Georgia. We still love you. We still want you’. There’s a lot of really good relationship between his family Mike Bobo, [Dawgs’ WR coach] James Coley, Kirby Smart. Everybody’s involved here. Mike Bobo, definitely the lead recruiter on Jared Curtis and this is a massive visit,” Mansell concluded.

Truth be told, the QB is one of the best players the Bulldogs can bring in for the 2026 class, and losing him would put a dent in their recruitment strength. Not only that, you also got to keep in mind that Smart has already lost a couple of other guys recently.

Defensive tackle Christian Garrett was one kid who got away—he decommitted from the Bulldogs in August this year, and committed to Georgia Tech a few weeks later. Notably, he was marked as the highest-ranked DL for the Bulldogs 2025′ roster. 3-star defensive lineman Stephon Shivers also officially decommitted last week after committing in March this year. Interestingly, he had announced his decommitment in October but deleted the tweet. However, this time, it’s official…

Now, losing Curtis is something Smart cannot afford. However, there is also another big risk. See, Curtis is planning on visiting Alabama as well. He already had his Oregon visit, and with Bama next on the list, the chances of Smart securing this kid might not be as high as people are expecting…

Can Bama or Ducks win over Jared Curtis?

Let’s not forget Oregon—currently on a blistering 10-0 over Dawgs’ 7-2—is also that very race. In fact, the university hosted Curtis during their Week 10 39-18 victory over the Maryland Terrapins, which left the Curtis family intrigued. “Me and my dad came up here, we loved it. With 55,000 people, it was probably one of the loudest stadiums I’ve been in,” the QB told On3. Not just that, he also expressed his admiration for the team and coaches!

“They’re well coached and they’re disciplined and I think they’re hungry to go get it,” he said, before adding, “The relationship with me and Coach Stein. My mom and dad really like it up here. What they do in their offense with the quarterbacks and getting players around them.” Well, in all honesty, the Ducks are sitting on top of every list out there. Take the AP polls or the CFP ranking list; Lanning is the new king. And why wouldn’t he be? 10 games played, all won. The only showdown where Lanning even came close to losing was against the Buckeyes, but they managed to edge past with 32-31 on the board.

It’s not hard to understand why Curtis could end up picking the Ducks. A stellar 2024 season record along with probably a national championship win as well (based on how they are playing). This is the perfect place to start his new journey.

On the other hand, Curtis picks Bama, then this would end up becoming the second L Kirby Smart would be taken from Kalen DeBoer. And well, Crimson Tide does have a shot at landing Curtis. Bama made a major comeback after the Mizzou and LSU game, and they easily managed to climb past Georgia on the AP polls and the CFP ranking list. “I’ve talked to (DeBoer) a couple times on the phone. The OC (Nick Sheridan) I talk to him a lot. I want to get up there for a game and meet the whole coaching staff,” Jared had said, making Alabama an important member in the race.

Looking at all this, for now, Dawgs fans can only pray for the best.