Diego Pavia says frosh QB Jared Curtis ‘has some learning to do’
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Diego Pavia will hand the torch off this offseason.
Following a long and storied college career, Pavia is out of eligibility and will need to hand the keys to the Vanderbilt offense to someone new. The expectation is that 5-star freshman signee Jared Curtis will have every opportunity to earn those keys during the upcoming offseason.
Pavia, however, said this week that Curtis still has much to learn.
“I think Jared has some learning to do, some freshman growing pains to get through,” Pavia said, per the Tennessean’s Gentry Estes. “This is me speaking 2 weeks in. His arm is through the roof. He’s got everything he needs. He’s an NFL player already, I think, if he just learns.”
That final statement is a little contradictory, but the point remains. Curtis was viewed as the top overall prospect in the 2026 recruiting class because of his combination of tools and “swagger” — to borrow a phrase from 247 director of scouting Andrew Ivins.
As we’ve seen in recent years, though, 5-star designations don’t guarantee immediate results for quarterbacks at the power conference level.
Pavia ranked fourth among all qualified FBS passers this season in Total QBR. He had an adjusted completion rate of 79.5%, per PFF, and he was unflappable when blitzed, with a 91.1 passer grade (PFF).
Those are all signs of his experience. Pavia threw 1,232 passes at the FBS level. The move to Curtis, if the Nashville newcomer wins the job, will inherently bring some growing pains.
Pavia thinks the youngster has all the tools to blossom, though.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
