Former Indiana QB Tayven Jackson commits to UCF

A native of Greenwood, Ind., Jackson signed with Tennessee in the Class of 2022 and redshirted his first season in Knoxville. He then transferred to his home state Hoosiers and initially earned the starting job in 2023 before Brendan Sorsby took over. He played in six games with five starts, completing 78-of-128 passes for 914 yards, two touchdowns and five interceptions.

In 2024, head coach Curt Cignetti's first season at IU, Jackson served as the backup to Kurtis Rourke. Jackson though came up big midseason, stepping in after Rourke suffered a broken thumb. Jackson played the second half in IU's 56-7 win against Nebraska, completing 7-of-8 passes for 91 yards and two touchdowns. He earned an 87.1 PFF grade for that performance.

Jackson got the start a week later against Washington, connecting on 11-of-19 throws for 124 yards, one touchdown and one interception, guiding IU to a 31-17 victory. PFF assigned a 68.3 grade. The win was a pivotal one as IU ultimately earned a College Football Playoff berth.

Jackson, who has two seasons of eligibility remaining, joins a UCF quarterback room that will include Dylan Rizk, Jacurri Brown and FAU transfer Cam Fancher.