Clark Lea non-committal on starting QB after Week 1 vs. Austin Peay
By Ethan Stone
Published:
Blaze Berlowitz will start for the Vanderbilt Commodores in Week 1 against Austin Peay, as Vandy head coach Clark Lea announced on Tuesday.
Lea met with reporters for the first time since naming Berlowitz the starter over 5-star QB Jared Curtis, the highest-rated high school commit in Vanderbilt history. While the decision was a surprise to many, Lea emphasized Thursday that Curtis will play against Austin Peay and the battle remains open heading into Week 2 and beyond.
“This is just about the Austin Peay game,” Lea said Thursday, via SI’s Graham Baakko. “I think that’s really important because I think the actual competition’s been close and I think we’ve seen moments of really strong play from both players.”
Shuffling quarterbacks early in the season is risky business. The Commodores only get so many gimme-games early in the year, especially with 9 SEC teams on the schedule in 2026. Lea realizes that, but he still thinks this is the right move as Vanderbilt hopes to get a better look at Berlowitz and Curtis against the Governors.
“This is the right thing to do for the Austin Peay game. That’s our focus,” Lea said. “And what we need to continue to do is be agile and adapt and evolve as we move through the season. But what we’ve done in the past has no bearing on what we’re doing in the present because the team’s different. Offensive skills are different, offensive line is different. I think there are a lot of things that give me a lot of excitement about where we’re headed.”
Vandy’s Week 1 matchup is set for Sept. 5 at 7 p.m. ET on SEC Network+.
Ethan Stone is a Saturday Down South News Editor and an advocate for the return of the Seattle Supersonics.
