The Jared Curtis Sweepstakes

USDA THE MAGAZINE — THE JARED CURTIS SWEEPSTAKES

With Drew Mestemaker, the No. 1 player and quarterback in the portal, trending heavily toward Texas, the most consequential unresolved recruitment in the country has shifted to No. 2 Jared Curtis.

And this one is different.

Miami. Oregon. Oklahoma.

Three national programs. Three completely different roster situations. Yet all three arrive at the same conclusion:

Jared Curtis could become the foundation of their next era.

Curtis is only a true freshman transfer, but the profile already explains the frenzy. The 6’3”, 230-pound pocket passer brings 95 throw power, 85 short accuracy, 86 medium accuracy, 83 deep accuracy, 84 throw on the run and 81 speed, plus a Hidden development trait. His physical tools are already substantial, and the belief around the league is that he is only beginning to ascend.

The growing NFL evaluation is even louder: potential future No. 1 overall pick.

So this isn’t three programs shopping for another quarterback.

They’re recruiting someone they believe can become the face of the program.

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🟠🟢 MIAMI — THE IMMEDIATE TAKEOVER

2026: 12-2 | #4 | 89 OVR
Current QB room:
D. Coleman — 81 OVR, FR
J. Anderson — 73 OVR, RS SO

Miami presents perhaps the clearest argument for Curtis as an immediate program-defining acquisition.

The Hurricanes are coming off a 12-win season and already proved they can operate at a championship level. This isn’t a reclamation project. Curtis would be walking into a program that is already winning.

But look at the quarterback room.

Freshman Dereon Coleman is an 81 overall Pure Runner with 86 speed and excellent athleticism, but his passing profile currently sits at 72 short accuracy, 70 medium and 76 deep.

That’s a radically different quarterback from Curtis.

Curtis would give Miami something it doesn’t currently possess: a young, prototype pocket passer around whom the entire offense could be constructed for multiple seasons.

And that’s what makes Miami fascinating.

This wouldn’t necessarily be about replacing a bad quarterback.

It would be about raising the long-term ceiling of an already successful program.

Coleman offers dynamic running ability. Curtis offers the potential to unlock a different level of passing offense.

If NFL evaluators are right about Curtis’ trajectory, Miami could go from having a young quarterback situation to potentially having one of the best young quarterbacks in college football.

What Curtis means to Miami:
A potential transition from contender to sustainable national powerhouse.

The roster is already good enough to win.

Curtis could become the player who makes sure that window doesn’t close.

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🟢🟡 OREGON — THE MISSING PIECE

2026: 8-5 | #23 | 95 OVR
Current QB room:
Akili Smith Jr. — 78 OVR, RS FR
D. Raiola — 72 OVR, FR

This may be the most fascinating situation of the three.

Look at those numbers again.

95 overall roster.
96 offense.
94 defense.

And Oregon finished 8-5.

That immediately tells you why Curtis matters.

There is elite talent everywhere.

What Oregon doesn’t currently have is an elite quarterback anchoring it.

Akili Smith Jr. enters next season at 78 overall. He possesses a respectable passing profile — 91 throw power, 86 short accuracy, 82 medium, 79 deep — but Curtis already arrives with significantly greater raw arm talent and a much higher perceived ceiling.

Behind Smith is a 72-overall freshman.

So unlike Miami, which already won 12 games, Oregon can look at Curtis and reasonably believe:

This could be the piece separating an elite roster from elite results.

That’s an incredibly powerful pitch.

Curtis doesn’t have to arrive and rescue Oregon.

The infrastructure is already sitting there.

A 95-overall roster with a quarterback viewed as a future NFL No. 1 pick is a completely different proposition from a 95-overall roster trying to determine whether it already has its answer at QB.

And because Curtis is a freshman, Oregon isn’t recruiting a one-year mercenary.

They could potentially pair an elite roster with an elite quarterback for several seasons.

What Curtis means to Oregon:
Potentially the solution to the most obvious disconnect in USDA:

elite roster talent without elite results.

Of the three, Oregon might be able to make the most direct football argument:

Look at everything around you. Now imagine this roster with you at quarterback.

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🔴 OKLAHOMA — THE SUCCESSION PLAN

2026: 13-3 | #2 | 89 OVR
Current QB room:
Whitt Newbauer — 78 OVR, RS SO
H. Silverman — 75 OVR, FR

Oklahoma presents almost the opposite argument from Oregon.

The Sooners just went 13-3.

They’re ranked No. 2.

Whatever Oklahoma has been doing clearly works.

But there is an obvious question as the program looks toward next season:

Who’s the quarterback that takes this from a great team to a sustainable championship program?

Newbauer sits at 78 overall with a solid profile:

88 throw power
83 short accuracy
83 medium accuracy
84 deep accuracy

Silverman sits behind him at 75.

Neither is a bad option.

But Curtis represents an entirely different ceiling.

The Sooners have already demonstrated that the surrounding program can win 13 games. They aren’t asking Curtis to establish credibility.

They’re asking him to inherit it.

That is an extremely attractive situation for a young quarterback.

Oklahoma can essentially pitch:

We already know how to win. Come be the quarterback who takes over one of the best teams in the country.

Curtis’ 95 throw power immediately gives the offense a weapon neither current quarterback possesses. His combination of arm strength, accuracy, athletic ability and long-term developmental upside gives Oklahoma the opportunity to solve the most important position on the roster for years.

And there’s another layer here.

Oklahoma is already putting together one of USDA’s most aggressive portal classes.

Landing the No. 2 player in America at quarterback would become the centerpiece of that entire roster-building effort.

What Curtis means to Oklahoma:
A succession plan worthy of a national contender.

Oklahoma doesn’t need Curtis to become relevant.

It wants Curtis to remain elite.

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WHY THIS RECRUITMENT IS SO IMPORTANT

What makes Curtis unusual is that all three schools genuinely need what he provides, just for different reasons.

Miami needs the long-term franchise passer.

They already have a successful team and an athletic young quarterback, but Curtis potentially raises the passing ceiling considerably.

Oregon needs the quarterback capable of matching its roster.

A 95-overall team going 8-5 practically screams for a position that can convert talent into results. Curtis could be that answer.

Oklahoma needs the heir.

The Sooners already have proof of concept. Thirteen wins and a No. 2 ranking. Curtis could ensure that the program’s ceiling remains that high after the current cycle turns over.

And all three can credibly tell him:

You don’t have to wait.

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THE NFL PIECE

This recruitment becomes even bigger if the league’s evaluation of Curtis is correct.

The attributes already suggest why scouts are enamored:

95 Throw Power
86 Medium Accuracy
85 Short Accuracy
83 Deep Accuracy
84 Throw on Run
81 Speed
83 Break Sack

And he’s a true freshman with a Hidden development trait.

There isn’t much projection required to imagine what this player might look like after another offseason or two.

That’s why the phrase future No. 1 pick doesn’t feel like ordinary portal hype inside the USDA world.

The player entering the portal today may not yet be the finished product.

That’s precisely the attraction.

Miami, Oregon and Oklahoma aren’t bidding only on today’s Jared Curtis.

They’re bidding on what Jared Curtis could become.

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THREE PITCHES. ONE QUARTERBACK.

MIAMI

“Come lead a championship-caliber program.”

12 wins. Young roster. Immediate opportunity to elevate an already successful operation.

OREGON

“You’re the missing piece.”

95 overall. 96 offense. Talent everywhere. A quarterback with Curtis’ ceiling could unlock the entire thing.

OKLAHOMA

“Take over a program already built to win.”

13 victories. No. 2 ranking. Proven infrastructure. Curtis could become the face of the next championship push.

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THE STAKES

Missing on Curtis won’t destroy any of these programs.

But landing him could change the trajectory of one.

For Miami, it could mean pairing a championship-caliber roster with its quarterback of the future.

For Oregon, it could finally connect one of the country’s most talented rosters with a centerpiece capable of maximizing it.

For Oklahoma, it could extend an already elite program’s window and remove uncertainty from the sport’s most important position.

That’s why, with Mestemaker appearing increasingly Texas-bound, Jared Curtis has become the portal recruitment everyone should be watching.

There are bigger rosters.

There may be bigger NIL offers.

But there probably isn’t another unresolved player whose decision could change the outlook of three legitimate national programs quite like this one.