Vanderbilt football signee Jared Curtis named Gatorade Tennessee Player of the Year
Vanderbilt football signee Jared Curtis is the Gatorade Tennessee Player of the Year for the second year in a row.
Curtis was announced as the recipient of the top high school sports honor on Dec. 5, one day after the senior quarterback and No. 1-ranked 2026 recruit led Nashville Christian to the TSSAA football Division II-A state title in a 59-7 win over USJ.
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Curtis was 14-of-19 passing for 205 yards and five touchdowns, to go with four carries for 78 yards and a TD in the Tennessee state championship.
More: How Nate Bargatze, Diego Pavia helped Vanderbilt football’s push for Jared Curtis
More: Jared Curtis ends Nashville Christian career with another TSSAA football title
He finished the season 141-of-214 passing for 2,068 yards, 36 touchdowns and six interceptions, plus 614 yards rushing and 11 touchdowns on 64 carries.
Curtis ended his four-year career at Nashville Christian with 11,596 passing yards, 159 touchdowns and 25 interceptions while completing 63% of his passes. He rushed for 2,813 yards and 59 touchdowns.
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The Gatorade award also recognizes off-the-field contributions and academics. Curtis maintains a B average in school and has volunteered as the organizer of a Cozy Sock Drive to benefit Vanderbilt Children’s hospital, according to a release. He has also donated time to the Ronald McDonald House since 2021.
The 6-foot-4, 226-pound Curtis is the No. 1 recruit from the 2026 class, according to the 247Sports Composite. He was highly sought after in the recruiting process. Vanderbilt flipped him away from Georgia on the eve of early signing day.
Curtis led Nashville Christian to back-to-back state titles and is the favorite to receive the Tennessee Titans DII-A Mr. Football award for the second straight season on Dec. 9.
Tyler Palmateer covers high school sports for The Tennessean. Have a story idea for Tyler? Reach him at tpalmateer@tennessean.com and on the X platform, @tpalmateer83.
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He also contributes to The Tennessean’s high school sports newsletter, The Bootleg. Subscribe to The Bootleg here.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Vanderbilt football signee Jared Curtis earns top Gatorade state honor