In a stunning twist that has shaken up the college football recruiting landscape, **five-star quarterback Jared Curtis** has flipped his commitment to the **Clemson Tigers**, spurning the **Oregon Ducks** and **Georgia Bulldogs** in the process. The elite 2026 signal-caller out of Nashville, Tennessee, had long been considered a strong Oregon lean and had also drawn heavy interest from Georgia, but Clemson made a late push that ultimately won him over.
Curtis, ranked as one of the **top five overall prospects** in the 2026 class and widely considered the **No. 1 quarterback** nationally, made the announcement via social media on Thursday afternoon. The move caught many by surprise, as Curtis had visited Eugene multiple times and was expected to solidify his commitment to the Ducks in the coming weeks.
But Clemson’s persistence, coupled with a standout visit to Death Valley earlier this month, proved to be the deciding factor.
“I prayed on it, talked with my family, and I just knew Clemson was where I needed to be,” Curtis said in his announcement video. “Coach Dabo [Swinney] and Coach [Garrett] Riley made me feel like I was already part of the Tiger family. The atmosphere, the tradition, and the opportunity to lead something special really stood out.”
Curtis brings an impressive skillset to Clemson’s 2026 class. Standing 6-foot-3 and weighing 215 pounds, he has a cannon for an arm, sharp decision-making, and the mobility to extend plays. In his sophomore season, he threw for **3,105 yards and 35 touchdowns** with just 4 interceptions, adding another **600 yards and 8 scores on the ground**.
Analysts compare his game to a young Deshaun Watson, and his upside has made him one of the most coveted quarterback recruits in the country.
“This is a game-changer for Clemson,” said a 247Sports analyst. “Curtis is a future NFL-caliber QB, and for the Tigers to land him over two programs like Oregon and Georgia speaks volumes about the direction Dabo Swinney is taking this program.”
For Clemson, Curtis is now the crown jewel of a 2026 recruiting class that’s beginning to gain serious momentum. He joins several other four-star prospects who committed earlier in the year, and his presence is expected to draw even more talent to the Tigers in the coming months.
As for Oregon and Georgia, Curtis’ flip comes as a major blow. Both programs had put substantial effort into his recruitment, and many insiders believed Oregon had done enough to lock him in.
Instead, it’s Clemson that walks away with one of the most important commitments in recent program history — and possibly the quarterback who will lead them back to national championship contention.