Luxury 2026 QB Curtis decommits from UGA

• Eli Lederman, ESPN Personnel WriterOct 17, 2024, 07:20 PM ET

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  Eli Lederman covers college football and recruiting for ESPN.com. He joined ESPN in 2024 after covering the University of Oklahoma for Sellout Crowd and the Tulsa World.Ahead of Georgia’s

Week 8 trip to Texas, Kirby Smart’s 2026 class suffered a blow Thursday evening when first-class quarterback Jared Curtis resumed his recruitment and withdrawed his promise to the Bulldogs.Curtis, the No. 4 recruit in the ESPN Junior 300

, is ESPN’s top quarterback possibility in the 2026 cycle. A junior at Nashville(Tennessee) Christian School, Curtis initially dedicated to Georgia in March after he threw for 2,522 backyards and 25 touchdowns with nine interceptions in his sophomore season. His decommitment now leaves the Bulldogs with two potential customers devoted in the 2026 class.Curtis announced the choice Thursday in a statement published to X.”Today I consulted with coach Smart and [offending organizer Mike Bobo] and let them understand that I still love Georgia, but want to take some more time to check out all my choices so I can make the best, most notified choice for my future. I let them know it simply doesn’t appear ideal or fair to remain committed while having a look at other programs. I desire people to understand where I stand and I have actually discovered that making big choices takes some time.”Curtis ended up being the very first member of Georgia’s 2026 recruiting class this spring when he selected 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 goals 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 functioning throughout the rest of our high school season and being a terrific colleague and leader,”Curtis continued in his declaration. “I eagerly anticipate taking advantage of an open recruiting process in the months ahead.

“With Curtis’dedication resumed, Georgia now holds promises from a set of 2026 promises, 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 wanting to close his ninth straight top-three class at Georgia later this year with the Bulldogs’most current class ranked 5th in ESPN’s most current group rankings for the cycle. Curtis now stands as one of two uncommitted players amongst ESPN’s top-10 pocket passers in the 2026 cycle along with four-star quarterback Ryder Lyons(No. 5 pocket passer ). All but among 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.