North Texas has officially selected Tayven Jackson to be the starting quarterback for their season opener against the defending national champion Indiana. This announcement, initially reported by ESPN’s Pete Thamel, is particularly noteworthy as Jackson previously played for Indiana prior to his transfer to North Texas.
Jackson, who also played at UCF, secured the starting role over sophomores Chaston Ditta and Chris Jimerson Jr., as well as freshman Ziondre Williams. New head coach Neal Brown, who joined the Mean Green after a six-year tenure at West Virginia, emphasized that Jackson's experience would be advantageous for the upcoming challenging road game against Indiana.
In his final season at UCF, Jackson had impressive numbers, completing 63.5% of his passes for 2,151 yards, recording 10 touchdowns and eight interceptions. During his time at Indiana, he participated in 13 games, throwing for 1,263 yards with a completion rate of 61.2%, achieving six touchdowns and six interceptions. Jackson began his college career at Tennessee in 2022.
The season opener is set for noon ET on September 5, marking Jackson's first game in the American Conference after competing in the Big Ten, Big 12, and SEC. Indiana, fresh off a perfect 16-0 season and their inaugural national championship, will be directed by former TCU quarterback Josh Hoover, following the exit of Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza to the NFL.
Additional information regarding the game and the teams’ preparations remains unclear.
