Clark Lea scored the biggest autograph of his football coaching life on National early signing day on Dec. 3, when the nation’s No. 1 overall recruit for the 2026 class per 247Sports Composite, Nashville Christian quarterback Jared Curtis, signed a financial aid and/or revenue sharing agreement to play for the suddenly sexy Vanderbilt Commodores.
Not only did Lea help convince Curtis to flip his commitment from Georgia, to whom he twice committed, he also landed another local flip in Christ Presbyterian Academy receiver Owen Cabell, who had been committed to Alabama.
“Keeping my anchor down in Nashville,” Curtis wrote in a statement he released on social media.
Both will enroll early, Lea said.
Welcome to the new Vanderbilt football.
Welcome to the program Lea helped turn around after enduring a pair of 2-10 seasons during his first three years on the job. Welcome to what Lea said he envisioned would happen when athletic director Candice Lee hired him.
“It feels real,” Lea said Dec. 3, the first day recruits could sign and a day Vanderbilt found itself with the 30th ranked recruiting class in the country. “I appreciate your question. I understand what you’re saying. Even as you asked that question, as we stand here, where will we be five years from now? Let’s not put limitations on what that can look like.”
How did Vanderbilt get Jared Curtis, Owen Cabell to flip?
Lea was hardly alone in the pursuit of Curtis, the 6-foot-3, 225-pound dual-threat prospect who is the No. 1 quarterback nationally and No. 1 player overall in the 2026 class, according to the 247Sports Composite, and Cabell, a three-star recruit who is 6-2, 201 pounds.
The first 10-win season in program history didn’t hurt.
Nor did last season’s victory against Alabama. Nor this season’s against Tennessee. Nor that the Commodores went from SEC doormats into the College Football Playoff conversation this season.
But the Commodores’ Heisman-contending quarterback who helped make all of the above possible, Diego Pavia, also played a big hand in helping land Curtis. He even attended a Nashville Christian game to see him play in person earlier this season.
Curtis, in turn, helped convince the Commodores to get Cabell.
“That kid’s arm is live. He is nasty,” Pavia said Dec. 1 on the “Bussin’ with the Boys” podcast. “He’s going to take the college football world by storm.”
Just like Pavia has done.
“Diego is one of the most popular athletes in our city,” Lea said. “And one of the most popular football players in the sport. “He leaves a mark anywhere he goes. He has that stature about him.
“Think about that. What does he have at stake (recruiting Curtis)? That’s a testament to how he feels about this program and the legacy, that’s really important that it doesn’t end with him.”
How did Clark Lea find out Jared Curtis, Owen Cabell flipped their commitments?
Lea said he talked with Curtis, who attended a Vanderbilt practice this season, on Dec. 2.
“I’m on the phone with Jared and he’s telling me he’s coming here, and then Owen, late in the process, decided to follow their heart and follow their belief in what we’re building.
“Those conversations carry a lot of meaning for me.
What did Jared Curtis say about flipping his commitment from Georgia to Vanderbilt?
Curtis was complimentary of the Georgia program, but said in his statement that he “wants to be a part” of what Lea and the Commodores are building.
“Being here in Nashville and seeing what Vandy has been doing this season has been amazing,” he wrote. “Over the last few weeks, I’ve felt more and more that I want to be a part of that, to be close to home, to play in front of my family and friends and to be what I love to be, an underdog.”
Paul Skrbina is a sports enterprise reporter covering the Predators, Titans, Nashville SC, local colleges and local sports for The Tennessean. Reach him at pskrbina@tennessean.com and on the X platform (formerly known as Twitter) @paulskrbina.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: How Diego Pavia played big.role in Vanderbilt signing Jared Curtis
