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Eli Lederman, ESPN Staff Writer
Ahead of Georgia’s Week 8 trip to Texas, Kirby Smart’s 2026 class suffered a blow Thursday evening when five-star quarterback Jared Curtis reopened his recruitment and backed off his pledge to the Bulldogs.
Curtis, the No. 4 recruit in the ESPN Junior 300, is ESPN’s top quarterback prospect in the 2026 cycle. A junior at Nashville (Tennessee) Christian School, Curtis initially committed to Georgia in March after he threw for 2,522 yards and 25 touchdowns with nine interceptions in his sophomore season. His decommitment now leaves the Bulldogs with two prospects committed in the 2026 class.
Curtis announced the decision Thursday in a statement posted to X.
“This morning I spoke with coach Smart and [offensive coordinator Mike Bobo] and let them know that I still love Georgia, but would like to take some more time to explore all my options so I can make the best, most informed decision for my future. I let them know it just doesn’t seem right or fair to stay committed while checking out other programs. 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 picked 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 runner-up honors for Tennessee’s Mr. Football that fall. Curtis has led Nashville Christian to a 6-1 start this fall.
“My focus now is taking care of business during the rest of our high school season and being a great teammate and leader,” Curtis continued in his statement. “I look forward to making the most of an open recruiting process in the months ahead.”
With Curtis’ commitment reopened, Georgia now holds pledges from a pair of 2026 pledges, four-star cornerbacks Jontavius Wynn (No. 159 in the ESPN Junior 300) and Dominick Kelly (No. 247), both of whom committed to the Bulldogs in late July.
In the 2025 cycle, Smart is looking to close his ninth straight top-three class at Georgia later this year with the Bulldogs’ latest class ranked fifth in ESPN’s latest 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 alongside four-star quarterback Ryder Lyons (No. 5 pocket passer). All but one of ESPN’s top-five dual-threat passers in 2026 have committed following Helaman Casuga‘s pledge to Texas A&M Thursday afternoon.
No. 5 Georgia visits No. 1 Texas at 7:30 p.m. ET (ABC) on Saturday night.