Five-star Jared Curtis re-committed to Georgia on Monday as the Bulldogs beat Oregon for one of the top quarterbacks in the 2026 Rivals250. Here is a look at some quarterback dominoes that could now be in play.
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WHAT DOES OREGON DO NOW?
The Ducks have had a cold run at quarterback this recruiting cycle as four-star Jonas Williams flipped from Oregon to USC and now Curtis turned them down after they put on the full-court press to land the Nashville (Tenn.) Nashville Christian star.
In typical Oregon fashion, the Ducks could still land with the best quarterback in the bunch as this opens up a massive opportunity to land Ryder Lyons, who is basically considered a 2027 quarterback because of his LDS mission but should be worth the wait.
I’ve now been told on multiple occasions that Oregon, BYU and Michigan are the front-runners in Lyons’ recruitment with USC, Ole Miss, Ohio State and others still in the mix. Now the Folsom, Calif., five-star has a clear runway to end up in Eugene.
USC chose Williams over Lyons first. Michigan just took five-star QB Brady Smigiel. BYU is under serious consideration but still feels like a long shot. Lyons loves the Ole Miss offense but there are still some hurdles there.
In some ways, Lyons is a more mobile playmaker in the Bo Nix mold – the Oregon version of Nix, not Auburn. That could be a major selling point to the five-star quarterback as the loss of Curtis could definitely mean the gain of Lyons.
Where else could Oregon go? It wouldn’t be shocking if the coaching staff isn’t getting great vibes from Lyons to circle around again on Houston commit Keisean Henderson, who has remained steadfast with the Cougars but recruiting could also be the long game heading into December.
GOOD NEWS FOR OLE MISS
The news of Curtis to Georgia is great for Ole Miss when it comes to high four-star quarterback Landon Duckworth, who already had the Rebels in the lead but was intrigued by the situation in Athens if Curtis went West.
That has not happened and should only reinforce the Rebels as his front-runner. Lyons is definitely interested but Ole Miss would still be a long shot for him.
Auburn would be one to watch but that QB room is so stacked now with Florida State and South Carolina (where Duckworth was once committed), but Curtis going to Georgia is great news for the Rebels.
ONE LESS OPTION FOR OKLAHOMA COMMIT
Jaden O’Neal has been committed to Oklahoma since June 2024 and even moved to Mustang, Okla., for his senior season but the Sooners are also going after Bowe Bentley.
Others will be involved with O’Neal as Georgia has pretty much been eliminated now. Florida State is the one to watch. The four-star recently took a visit there and loved the Seminoles.
Auburn, Arizona and others could be involved.
TWO-TEAM RACE FOR BOWE BENTLEY?
Could it now be a two-team race between Oklahoma and LSU for four-star Bowe Bentley? The Sooners are managing a lot of relationships in the pursuit of Bentley and in trying to keep Jaden O’Neal.
But the feeling is that OU is the front-runner for Bentley, who is seen by some as offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle’s guy in the 2026 class. No one is counting out LSU, especially since OU has a QB committed, but the Sooners look strong.
