Former Indiana quarterback Tayven Jackson led his new team, UCF, to a season-opening win against Jacksonville State on Thursday night at the Acrisure Bounce House in Orlando, Florida.
Jackson took the field following an injury to starting quarterback Cam Fancher in the second quarter. He completed 17 of his 24 passing attempts, including two touchdowns, one of which was the go-ahead score for the Knights late in the fourth quarter:
Jackson committed to UCF after entering the transfer portal this past offseason, joining the program for the first season of former Nebraska coach Scott Frost’s second stint leading the Knights. He’d spent the previous two seasons with Indiana, having joined the program during the 2023 offseason after transferring from Tennessee.
The younger brother of Indiana men’s basketball great Trayce Jackson-Davis, Jackson started multiple games for the Hoosiers in 2023 before taking on the second string role behind starter Kurtis Rourke in 2024. He played most of the second half of Indiana’s game against Nebraska last season and started in relief of an injured Rourke against Washington, earning the win.
