Why Jared Curtis, who now has Alabama football re-offer, is worthy No. 1 quarterback recruit

• Jared Curtis, a five-star quarterback from Nashville Christian, is the No. 1 QB in the country according to the 247Sports Composite for the class of 2026..
• Jared Curtis is ranked No. 1 overall recruit for 2026 by 247Sports.
• Jared Curtis has thrown for 4,807 yards with 52 touchdowns in two seasons.

College football coaches focus on a few primary traits when they tell Jared Curtis what they like about his potential.

One is the five-star Nashville Christian sophomore quarterback’s overall size. He’s already 6-foot-4 and 225 pounds with two years left in high school.

The other is his rifle-like right arm, which is powerful beyond its years.

“I don’t always notice that (power), but sometimes I do feel like I can really launch the ball,” Curtis said. “I’ve been able to do that my whole life.”

Last week, Curtis was upgraded to the No. 1 Class of 2026 quarterback nationally in the 247Sports Composite rankings, a list that is determined using rankings of all major recruiting services. Additionally, he moved to the No. 1 overall 2026 prospect and top quarterback in 247Sports’ own rankings. 

It was part of a domino effect after the quarterback ranked ahead of him, USC commitment Julian Lewis, reclassified to the Class of 2025. 

But Curtis is still considered a worthy No. 1. 

Curtis adds offers regularly despite having released a top 10 list of finalists of Georgia, Alabama, Florida State, Notre Dame, South Carolina, Michigan, Ohio State, Tennessee, Texas A&M and Ole Miss. 

Oklahoma extended an offer Monday. New Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer, hired less than two weeks ago, informed Curtis that afternoon that the Crimson Tide’s scholarship offer is still on the table. It was Curtis' first communication with the new Crimson Tide coach.

“I’ve trained NFL guys, and he’s got a legitimate NFL arm right now. He’s that powerful and that strong,” said QB Country Nashville operator Thomas Morris, who has coached Curtis privately since he was in middle school. “Distance-wise, he can probably throw the ball 70-75 yards. I don’t know what that would be equivalent to in RPMs, but he can throw a fast ball, let’s put it that way. That ball can go through you if you’re not careful.”

His power doesn't sacrifice accuracy, allowing Curtis to make the throw that top Power 5 coaches want to see from elite QBs: The opposite-hash “field throw” that can demoralize a defense. 

“He makes them effortlessly,” Morris says. 

Curtis has three private trainers, two for QB specifics and another for speed and agility. His early development allowed him to do big things early in his career.

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He emerged as a dual-threat QB star his freshman year, completing nearly 60% of his passes last season for 2,285 yards and 27 touchdowns. He also ran for 481 yards and seven touchdowns while leading the Eagles to a Division II-A state runner-up finish.

As a sophomore last season, he completed 180-of-321 passes (56%) for 2,522 yards, 25 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He also rushed for 543 yards and 13 TDs.

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Curtis has seen these types of developments for some time. So far, life at No. 1 hasn’t been much different than No. 2. 

His mom, Barbara, has gotten used to crisscrossing the nation to see as many college campuses as possible. And Curtis said he’s already learned to not think about rankings too much. 

There might be a little bigger target on his back now, he said, but rising to the top doesn’t change much else. 

“I’ve been working a lot on the short ball throws, the digs, comebacks, whatever that may be,” he said. “Working those things over and over to get to perfection.”

Reach sports writer Tyler Palmateer at tpalmateer@tennessean.com and on the X platform, formerly Twitter, @tpalmateer83.