Jared Curtis will change the face of his destined program, that’s for sure. Dan Lanning and Kirby Smart are hot in pursuit of the 5-star recruit. Having the No. 1 recruit on board will create a huge splash for either the Ducks or the Bulldogs. He had some more schools lined up on his calendar for visits, but it seems that Curtis is close to making up his mind. The suspense could not get more intense for the two HCs! However, it doesn’t look like Kirby Smart has the upper hand here.
Curtis is ranked the No. 1 QB, the No. 6 national prospect, and the No. 1 Tennessee prospect by On3. If Lanning has Curtis on board, Oregon has an easy potential of moving even further up in the 2026 class ranking. They currently sit at No. 4. And if a No. 1 ranked talent decides to go to a program ranked No. 20, there’s no wonder how beneficial that would prove. Curtis’ father told ESPN that his son is “torn” between the two programs. “Both schools are just great. Jared has a hard decision,” he said. That decision is seeing a new twist, which is set to be revealed on May 5.
Curtis, however, is choosing to prioritize himself at the moment. He was going to drop by Athens over the weekend but is now pulling out of that visit. Curtis will instead choose to attend his high school prom, which is also slated for the same weekend. It’s difficult to say how this would affect Smart because Curtis has been to Georgia plenty of times in the past. But his commitment date is less than a month away, which pits both Lanning and Smart in an intense battle.
5-star QB cancels Georgia visit ahead of commitment https://t.co/Ehje4qbRff pic.twitter.com/NGkti1bpOH
— UGA Football Live (@UGAfootballLive) April 11, 2025
The star QB has an impressive record to support the hype for him. Last season, he finished with 2,830 yards, 40 touchdowns, and a 70.2% pass completion percentage. At 6’4” and 225 lbs, he also possesses a great arm and mobility skills. “Not afraid to dial up the deep ball and tends to connect on plenty of vertical shots,” Andrew Ivins wrote for 247Sports. Along with fellow star recruit Ryder Lyons, he is also expected to be one of the top signal callers in the 2026 cycle. There’s no way either coach would rest easy when Smart makes his choice.
Jared Curtis could be of immense use to Kirby Smart, the legend behind Carson Beck’s career. Though DawgsNation has been told that Curtis will employ a “fairness-based” tactic, the odds don’t look to be swinging toward Georgia’s favor. Is Dan Lanning going to be the ultimate victor of this battle?
Is Jared Curtis leaning towards Oregon?
Given how Curtis’ timeline is evolving, it also looks like he may ultimately land in Oregon. What’s worse is that Smart already had Curtis in the bag. But he ended up decommitting last October. On3’s Steve Wiltfong thinks that this move alone could be the final nail in the coffin for Smart. The analyst said, “You know, I [feel] like oftentimes if [players] decommit from a school, it’s hard to get them back in today’s landscape.” The recruitment scene has become more volatile than before, especially with the dominance of NIL factors.
Now that he’s pulled out of a scheduled visit to Athens, the chances of Curtis going to Georgia are looking slim. He was last at Oregon for quite a long visit from March 8 to 12. And he had only good things to say about the program. “Me and Coach Stein’s relationship is pretty good… I think they showcased their talents this year and shown teams what they can be. They just go out and fight,” he told On3. He had visited Georgia right afterward, which seems to be his last visit anywhere.
Until May 5, both Dan Lanning and Kirby Smart will be on the edge of their seats. Jared Curtis will change the way the team builds their strategy. It’s a test of patience and time for both these coaches until the elite prospect announces where he is headed.
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