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Eli Lederman, ESPN writer
Ahead of Georgia’s Week 8 trip to Texas, Kirby Smart’s 2026 class was dealt a blow Thursday night when five-star quarterback Jared Curtis reopened his recruitment and backed out of his pledge to the Bulldogs.
Curtis, the No. 4 recruit in the ESPN Junior 300, is ESPN’s top quarterback in the 2026 cycle. A junior at Nashville (Tenn.) Christian School, Curtis initially committed to Georgia in March after throwing for 2,522 yards and 25 touchdowns with nine interceptions his season the second. Decommitting now leaves the Bulldogs with two prospects committed in the 2026 class.
Curtis announced the decision Thursday in a statement posted on X.
“I spoke this morning with Coach Smart and (offensive coordinator Mike Bobo) and told them I still love Georgia, but I want to spend more time exploring all of my options so I can make the best, most informed decision for my team. The future, I let them know is not It’s right or fair that I stay committed while looking at other shows I want people to know where I stand and I’ve learned that making big decisions takes time.
Curtis became the first member of Georgia’s 2026 recruiting class this spring when he chose the Bulldogs over Alabama, Texas, Ohio State and Oklahoma on March 23. The 6-foot-4, 255-pound passer burst onto the recruiting scene when he threw for 27 touchdowns and led Nashville Christian to a 10-3 record in his freshman season in 2022, earning second-place honors in Tennessee’s Mr. Football tournament that fall. Curtis has led Nashville Christian to a 6-1 start this fall.
“My focus now is to take care of business through the rest of our high school season and be a great teammate and leader,” Curtis continued in his statement. “I look forward to making the most of the open hiring process in the coming months.”
With Curtis’ commitment reopened, Georgia now holds pledges from a pair of 2026 commits, four-star cornerbacks Jontavious Wynn (No. 159 in the ESPN Junior 300) and Dominic Kelly (No. 247), both of whom committed to the Bulldogs in late July.
In the 2025 cycle, Smart looks to close out his ninth consecutive top-three class at Georgia later this year with the Bulldogs’ latest class ranked No. 5 in the latest ESPN team rankings for the cycle. Curtis now stands as one of two uncommitted players among ESPN’s top 10 pocket passers in the 2026 cycle along with four-star quarterback Ryder Lyons (No. 5 pocket passer). All but one of ESPN’s top five dual-threat passers have committed in 2026 after Helaman Casuga pledged to Texas A&M on Thursday afternoon.
No. 5 Georgia visits No. 1 Texas at 7:30 PM ET (ABC) on Saturday night.
