The Vanderbilt quarterback battle that's dragged through spring ball and all of fall camp finally has an answer. Pete Thamel reported Tuesday that senior Blaze Berlowitz will get the start against Austin Peay on Sept. 5 -- his first career start after years of waiting behind Diego Pavia.
Sources: Vanderbilt senior Blaze Berlowitz will be the starting quarterback to open the season for the Commodores. He’ll make his first career start against Austin Peay on Sept. 5. Five-star true freshman Jared Curtis will also play in that game, marking his first career snaps.
This one matters because of who Berlowitz beat out. Jared Curtis came to Vanderbilt as a five-star recruit, the kind of quarterback prospect programs like Vanderbilt almost never land. According to reporting on the competition, Curtis pushed Berlowitz hard through camp, flashing the arm talent and explosiveness that made him a blue-chip signee, while Berlowitz answered with steadier ball control and the polish of a guy who's been in the system for years.
That the battle even got this close is the real story. Head coach Clark Lea had reportedly trimmed the competition down from a four-man field -- Berlowitz, Curtis, Whit Muschamp and Jack Elliott -- to just the two finalists midway through camp, and by all accounts it stayed a genuine coin flip until Lea made the call this week.
Vanderbilt isn't burying Curtis, though. He's set to play in that same Austin Peay opener, marking his first career snaps as a college quarterback. For a program that's building real momentum after last year's breakout under Pavia, easing a five-star freshman into the mix behind a battle-tested senior is about as low-risk a plan as you can draw up.
The bigger question is how long this stays a 1-and-1A situation. Berlowitz earned the keys by sticking around and outworking a highly-touted freshman, but Curtis is the kind of talent programs eventually build around. Vandy fans get to watch that transition play out in real time starting Sept. 5, and depending how the opener goes, this competition might not be settled for long.