North Texas has confirmed Tayven Jackson as the starting quarterback for their season opener against defending national champion Indiana. This decision, initially reported by ESPN’s Pete Thamel, is particularly interesting as Jackson previously played for Indiana before transferring to North Texas.
Jackson, who has also played at UCF, outperformed Chaston Ditta, Chris Jimerson Jr., and Ziondre Williams to secure the starting role. New head coach Neal Brown, who joined the Mean Green after six seasons at West Virginia, expressed confidence in Jackson's experience for the tough away game against Indiana.
In his last season at UCF, Jackson completed 63.5% of his passes for 2,151 yards, achieving 10 touchdowns and eight interceptions. At Indiana, he played in 13 games, throwing for 1,263 yards with a completion rate of 61.2%, including 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, which finished last season undefeated at 16-0 and secured their first national championship, will be directed by former TCU quarterback Josh Hoover after Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza moved to the NFL.
Additional information about the game and team preparations remains forthcoming.
