Ahead of Georgia’s Week 8 trip to Texas, Kirby Smart’s 2026 class suffered a setback Thursday night when five-star quarterback Jared Curtis reopened his recruitment and reneged on his pledge to the Bulldogs.

Curtis, the No. 4 recruit in the ESPN Junior 300, is ESPN’s top quarterback prospect in the 2026 cycle. Curtis, a junior at Nashville (Tenn.) Christian School, initially transferred to Georgia in March after hitting 2,522 in his sophomore season yards and 25 touchdowns with nine interceptions. With his decommitment, the Bulldogs now have two committed prospects in the 2026 class.

Curtis announced the decision in a statement posted on X on Thursday.

“This morning I spoke with Coach Smart and (offensive coordinator Mike Bobo) and let them know that I still love Georgia but would like to take a little more time to explore all of my options so that I can make the best, most informed decision for myself I let them know that it just doesn’t seem right or fair to get involved while I’m looking at other programs. I want people to know where I stand, and I’ve learned that making big decisions takes time.

Curtis became the first member of Georgia’s 2026 recruiting class this spring when he picked the Bulldogs over Alabama, Texas, Ohio State and Oklahoma on March 23. He scored 27 touchdowns and led Nashville Christian to a 10th in his first season in 2022 :3 record, which earned him second place for Tennessee’s Mr. Football that fall. Curtis has led Nashville Christian to a 6-1 start this fall.

“My focus now is on taking care of business and being a great teammate and leader for the remainder of our high school season,” Curtis continued in his statement. “I look forward to making the most of an open recruitment process in the coming months.”

With Curtis’ recommitment, Georgia now holds commitments from two 2026 commits, four-star cornerbacks Jontavius ​​Wynn (No. 159 in the ESPN Junior 300) and Dominick Kelly (No. 247), both of whom are 2026 commits Bulldogs were signed at the end of July.

In the 2025 cycle, Smart is looking to finish his ninth straight top-three class at Georgia later this year, with the Bulldogs’ newest class ranked fifth in ESPN’s latest team rankings for the cycle. Curtis is now one of two uncommitted players among ESPN’s top 10 pocket passers in the 2026 cycle, along with four-star quarterback Ryder Lyons (No. 5 pocket passer). All but one of the top five dual-threat passers of ESPN in 2026 have committed after Helaman Casuga committed to Texas A&M on Thursday afternoon.

No. 5 Georgia visits No. 1 Texas on Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. ET (ABC).