North Texas has officially announced that Tayven Jackson will be the starting quarterback for their upcoming season opener against defending national champion Indiana. This decision, first reported by ESPN’s Pete Thamel, adds intrigue to the matchup as Jackson previously played for Indiana before transferring to North Texas.
Jackson, who previously spent time at Indiana and UCF, beat out sophomores Chaston Ditta and Chris Jimerson Jr. and freshman Ziondre Williams for the starting position. New head coach Neal Brown, who took over the Mean Green after six seasons at West Virginia, indicated that Jackson's experience would be beneficial for the challenging road game against Indiana.
In his last season at UCF, Jackson had notable statistics, completing 63.5% of his passes for 2,151 yards, with 10 touchdowns and eight interceptions. His earlier career at Indiana included 13 games, where he threw for 1,263 yards, completing 61.2% of his attempts with six touchdowns and six interceptions. Jackson's college career began at Tennessee in 2022.
The season opener is scheduled for noon ET on September 5, marking Jackson's debut in the American Conference after competing in the Big Ten, Big 12, and SEC. Indiana, coming off a perfect 16-0 season and their first national championship, will be led by former TCU quarterback Josh Hoover, following the departure of Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza to the NFL.
