Kirby Smart and Georgia got huge news on Monday, landing a (second) commitment from Nashville Christian (Tenn.) five-star quarterback Jared Curtis.
The No. 3 player in the latest On300 rankings, Curtis was a one-time UGA pledge from March to October 2024 before backing off his commitment. At the time, he wanted a chance to visit more schools and evaluate his options. The Bulldogs remained in the mix, as did Oregon, Alabama, South Carolina, Ohio State and others.
Ultimately though, it came down to the Ducks and Bulldogs, with him choosing UGA a second time. And while his NIL deal was undoubtedly a factor in the decision-making process, it doesn’t appear to have been a major one. According to Brooks Austin, director of recruiting for the On SI network, Curtis actually took less money with UGA than he would’ve gotten with the Ducks.He took a paycut coming to Georgia compared to what he was going to get at Oregon,” Austin said. “I don’t know the number there, but I’ve been told it’s considerably higher — noticeably higher was the wordage I believe.”
According to Austin, Curtis will make between $600,000-800,000 as a freshman in 2026, then will earn between $1.2-1.4 million in his second year with the program in 2027.
All of Georgia’s NIL contracts going forward by the way, are back-loaded and not front-loaded,” Austin said, referring to other programs who promise recruiting money upfront to get them to sign.Year 3 of contract will be renegotiated
After Curtis’ second season, the two sides will renegotiate depending on his performance and whether he has earned the starting job for the Bulldogs. What he’ll make then will depend on the market for his services. Multiple starting quarterbacks in 2025 will make over $3 million, with Duke’s Darian Mensah and Miami’s Carson Beck reportedly earning over $4 million
