Vanderbilt football officially names Diego Pavia replacement in QB1 battle

Vanderbilt football has made a decision on who will be its starting quarterback for the 2026 college football season.

According to On3’s Pete Nakos, Blaze Berlowitz will be the starter after he beat out five-star recruit Jared Curtis during fall camp. Curtis was originally committed to Georgia before flipping to Vanderbilt in December.

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Berlowitz served as Diego Pavia’s backup during the 2025 season, finishing with 131 yards through the air, one touchdown, and no interceptions. He’ll now get to replace the Heisman Trophy runner-up as Vanderbilt looks to build upon its 10-win season from last year.

Expectations continue to be high for Curtis since he was one of the top recruits in the 2026 recruiting class. That said, there’s nothing wrong with him starting the season behind Berlowitz. He’s a true freshman and will continue to improve as he develops.

Heck, he’ll still get some playing time when Vanderbilt plays Austin Peay in Week 1, per Nakos. Vanderbilt fans will get a glimpse of the present and future during that contest.

Lea is heading into his sixth season as Vanderbilt’s head coach and has done a remarkable job turning around that program. He won only nine combined games in his first three seasons at the helm before winning 17 games over the last two years.

He’ll try to get the team off to a good start this year when the Vanderbilt-Austin Peay game starts at 7 p.m. ET on Sept. 5.

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