What schools No. 1 2026 QB Jared Curtis is considering after decommitting from Georgia football

Nashville Christian quarterback Jared Curtis had to make a hard phone call on Thursday morning.

Curtis, a five-star recruit, committed to Georgia in March, but this week he talked to Georgia coach Kirby Smart to let him know that he would be reopening his recruitment.

“I made the call to them (Thursday) morning and it wasn’t an easy call to make, but we got it done and I love them,” Curtis told The Tennessean Friday after Nashville Christian’s 46-0 win over Fayetteville. “They understood and they knew that they weren’t out of the mix. They wanted what’s best for me and I think I made that decision.”

Curtis’ top remaining schools include Alabama, Ohio State, Oregon, Clemson, USC and South Carolina. Curtis has made visits to every school on his list, but is yet to make any gameday visits.

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The 6-foot-4, 225-pound standout is the No. 1 quarterback in the country from the Class of 2026 and the No. 1 recruit in Tennessee, according to 247Sports Composite. He spent the last month rethinking his recruiting status, posting on his X account, formerly Twitter, that it wouldn’t be fair to continue visiting other schools while committed to Georgia.

“When I committed to Georgia, I told them I was going to cancel all my visits and I was going to be locked in and I did cancel all my visits,” said Curtis, who was 11-of-16 passes for 233 yards and four touchdowns Friday. “I feel like it’s right (to) decommit and keep them in the options rather than just stay committed and visit all the other places.”

Curtis plans to attend Georgia’s game against Tennessee on Nov. 16 in Athens as well as Vanderbilt’s game against Texas Oct. 26.

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This season Curtis has completed 117-of-172 passes for 1,857 yards and 22 touchdowns with three interceptions as the Eagles (7-1, 3-0) sit atop Division II-A’s Middle Region. Nashville Christian hosts Clarksville Academy (1-6, 0-3) in Week 10 of the TSSAA season.

As he reopens his recruitment, Curtis’ priorities remain the same.

“Just the relationship with the coaches would probably be the biggest factor,” he said. “Just getting out there and looking at the facilities and the whole university, campus and everything. Going on gameday visits, the atmosphere in the stadium, seeing the love from the fans and just going up there and connecting with the coaches.”

Curtis is setting no timeline on the decision, with his full focus on Nashville Christian’s season. With all the attention that comes with his status as the nation’s No. 1-ranked quarterback, Curtis has been forced to split his focus between recruiting and the field, a balance he’s struck masterfully according to Eagles coach Jeff Brothers.

“It’s a lot for anybody. For it to happen so early for him was kind of a blessing and a curse because it was a lot early on a young kid. At the same time, to go ahead and get that done and out of the way at such an early age, now that the years have gone he’s been able to handle it with a tremendous amount of maturity.”

Harrison Campbell covers high school sports for The Daily Herald and The Tennessean. Email him at hcampbell@gannett.com and follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @hccamp.