ATHENS — Jared Curtis was once viewed as a potential future quarterback for Georgia.

On Saturday, he’ll play his first game between the hedges from the opposite sideline.

Curtis and Vanderbilt will visit No. 2 Georgia at Sanford Stadium for an SEC matchup that gives the Bulldogs (4-0, 2-0 SEC) another conference test after an unbeaten first month.

The freshman quarterback’s history with Georgia adds another layer to the matchup.

Curtis committed to the Bulldogs twice during his recruitment before backing off his second pledge shortly before Early Signing Day last December. The Nashville native ultimately elected to stay home and sign with Vanderbilt.

Now, less than a year later, Curtis will try to lead the Commodores to an upset of the program he once planned to join.

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart, however, is less concerned with the recruiting storyline than the challenge Curtis presents on the field.

“Tremendous talent,” Smart said of Curtis on Monday. “Way better athletically than people give him credit for. I don’t know if anybody’s tackled him, like, with one person tackled him, yet. He’s strong, he’s quick, powerful. He’s got great arm talent. I mean, everything everybody thought is the truth.”

Curtis brings another dimension to Vanderbilt’s offense

Curtis has taken over Vanderbilt’s starting job from New Mexico State transfer Blaze Berlowitz, giving the Commodores a quarterback capable of hurting defenses with both his arm and his legs.

Vanderbilt enters Saturday with a 3-1 record. The Commodores opened the season with wins over Austin Peay and Delaware before Curtis helped engineer a comeback against NC State in his first career start. Vanderbilt suffered its first loss last week, falling 21-15 at Auburn in its SEC opener.

The Commodores are scoring 28.3 points per game while surrendering 21.8.

Georgia, meanwhile, has controlled its first four opponents.

The Bulldogs have topped 40 points in every game and enter Saturday averaging 54.8 points while allowing 13.3 per contest. Georgia defeated Oklahoma 41-13 last week behind a defense that forced four turnovers and limited the Sooners to 48 rushing yards.

Curtis’ mobility could test that unit in a new way.

Running back Sedrick Alexander leads Vanderbilt on the ground, with Curtis second on the team in rushing. Junior Sherrill has become the Commodores’ top receiving option and gives Curtis a threat who can stretch the field.

Vanderbilt defense presents another challenge

Vanderbilt has also found ways to disrupt opponents defensively.

The Commodores have recorded 13 sacks through four games and forced six turnovers with four interceptions and two fumble recoveries. That could be significant against a Georgia offense that lost some of its rhythm after halftime against Oklahoma, turning the ball over twice.

Smart believes Vanderbilt’s defense reflects head coach Clark Lea’s background on that side of the ball.

“They’ve got twitchy guys,” Smart said. “They’ve always had really good defensive players, in my opinion. They do a good job. Sound, fundamentally. They play really hard.”

Georgia enters the matchup as the favorite at home, but Smart has seen enough from Lea’s program to know Vanderbilt cannot be overlooked.

The Commodores are coming off a breakthrough season and have already shown they can respond to adversity this fall, including their comeback victory over NC State.

Curtis returns to Sanford Stadium

Curtis’ return to Athens will provide the most obvious storyline Saturday.

The quarterback who once seemed destined to lead Georgia’s offense will finally take the field at Sanford Stadium. This time, he’ll be trying to beat the Bulldogs instead.

But while Curtis’ recruiting history will receive plenty of attention before kickoff, Smart’s focus is on the entire Vanderbilt team coming with him.

“They’ve got a great program, a great team,” Smart said. “They’re really a physical football team made in the same mold with a defensive coach as us.”