Blaze Berlowitz named Vanderbilt football starting QB for 2026 opener | Report

Vanderbilt football has named Blaze Berlowitz its starting quarterback for the 2026 opener over Jared Curtis according a post on social media from Pete Thamel.

Thamel reported that Berlowitz will start to open the season against Austin Peay on Sept. 5. However, he also wrote five-star freshman Jared Curtis will also play in the game.

Sources: Vanderbilt senior Blaze Berlowitz will be the starting quarterback to open the season for the Commodores. He’ll make his first career start against Austin Peay on Sept. 5. Five-star true freshman Jared Curtis will also play in that game, marking his first career snaps. pic.twitter.com/IflEFhbFlV

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) August 25, 2026

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Berlowitz has been Diego Pavia’s backup for the last three years, including one year at New Mexico State and two at Vanderbilt. In 2025, he appeared in six games, going 9-for-17 passing for 131 yards and a touchdown. He also went 10-for-19 passing for 134 yards and a touchdown in his lone game of action with the Aggies in 2023. He did not play in 2024.

Berlowitz’s best strength is his knowledge of Tim Beck’s offense, which can be complex in its different plays and reads. He doesn’t have the same physical tools of Curtis, but he has spent the last three years familiarizing himself with the playbook.

Berlowitz is now tasked with replacing Diego Pavia, one of the best quarterbacks in Vanderbilt history. Pavia was the Heisman runner-up in 2025 and set a program record for single-game passing yards. He helped to lead the Commodores to their first 10-win season in program history as Vanderbilt finished the 2025 season at 10-3.

The Commodores open their 2026 season at FirstBank Stadium against Austin Peay on Sept. 5 (6 p.m. CT, SEC Network+).

Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at agerson@gannett.com or on X @aria_gerson.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Blaze Berlowitz named Vanderbilt football starting QB for 2026 opener | Report