Jared Curtis returns to Athens as Vanderbilt’s starter after flipping from Georgia

Early last December, five-star recruit Jared Curtis flipped his nearly seven month-long commitment to Georgia and signed a letter of intent with Vanderbilt the next day.

Nearly 10 months later, Curtis will return to Athens and take the field at Sanford Stadium as the Commodores’ starting quarterback, in the place that could have been his home field.

Georgia coach Kirby Smart still has high praise for the quarterback, who initially committed to the Bulldogs in 2024 before decommitting, recommitting and ultimately flipping to Vanderbilt.

“He has tremendous talent and is way better athletically than people give him credit for. I don’t know if one person has tackled him yet,” Smart said Monday. “He’s strong, he’s quick, he’s powerful, and he’s got great arm talent. Everything that everybody thought has been true.”

Curtis is 63-of-98 for 746 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions, while rushing for 133 yards and two scores through four games and two starts. The Commodores’ (3-1) lone loss came in Southeastern Conference play against Auburn .

Oklahoma didn’t quite provide the challenge some expected for Georgia. The Bulldogs cruised to 4-0 with a 41-13 home win on Saturday.

The Bulldogs’ high-powered offense didn’t falter despite running back Nate Frazier’s absence. Georgia outrushed Oklahoma 129-65 in an effort spearheaded by Dwight Phillips Jr. and Chauncey Bowens. Talyn Taylor led the Bulldogs with 110 receiving yards and a touchdown.

Quarterback Gunner Stockton has an SEC-high 74.3 completion percentage and has 754 passing yards, 10 touchdowns and one interception, which came against a strong Oklahoma defense.

Georgia has scored at least 40 points in each of its first four games for the first time since 2018. The Bulldogs last opened a season with 40-plus points in each of their first five games in 2012.

Georgia’s defense forced four turnovers in last week’s win over Oklahoma, including three in the first half. Linebacker Chris Cole recovered two fumbles, including an 85-yard touchdown return , while KJ Bolden added an interception. The Bulldogs turned the four takeaways into 17 points.

Smart says winning the turnover battle has been a huge part of Georgia's early success.

“Turnover ratio has been better,” Smart said. “It's probably the biggest difference. We've taken more than we've given.”

The Commodores hope they have fixed some personnel issues on special teams that have been anything but special this season, at least on protecting the punter. Vanderbilt gave up a blocked punt to Auburn last week for a touchdown in the second quarter, a key play in a 21-15 loss. That’s the second allowed by Vanderbilt this season.

The Commodores have had their own success blocking kicks in consecutive weeks, one a point after attempt returned for a 2-point conversion and the other a blocked punt recovered in the end zone for a TD. Vanderbilt also had two punt returns for TDs this season.

Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea hopes to keep opposing defenses off his quarterback by running the ball better. The Commodores' 132.5 rushing yards per game ranks 106th in the FBS.

“That run game is going to be really important to us allowing him to be the best he can be over the course of the season,” Lea said. “So he’s getting better, we’re getting better around him, and I’m excited for that to show up for us on Saturday.”

Sedrick Alexander leads the team with 165 rushing yards and three scores. He recorded his 24th career rushing score in Week 4 against Auburn, tying with Marcus Wilson for third on Vanderbilt’s all-time rushing touchdown list.

He was held to 16 rushing yards when Georgia and Vanderbilt last met in 2023.

The Bulldogs have a 61-20-2 all-time record against Vanderbilt. That includes six straight wins dating back to 2017.

The two teams last played in 2023, when Georgia won 30-21 in Nashville. Vanderbilt’s last victory in the series came in 2016, when the Commodores stunned the Bulldogs 17-16 in Athens. Saturday will mark the 84th meeting between the schools, dating to 1893, and the first at Sanford Stadium since 2022.

AP Sports Writer Teresa Walker in Nashville contributed to this report.

Sign up for Top 25 poll alerts here , visit the Top 25 here and see AP’s full college football coverage here