BLOOMINGTON - Indiana football doesn’t have to start from scratch when it studies North Texas this week. The Hoosiers know exactly who the Mean Green are putting at quarterback.
That familiar name is Tayven Jackson, the Center Grove product who spent two seasons at Indiana and made six starts in Bloomington. Now he’s set to line up against the Hoosiers after being named North Texas’ starter.
Jackson’s return to the other sideline gives Curt Cignetti and his staff at least one clear scouting lane in a game where so much else is brand new. North Texas has rebuilt aggressively, bringing in more than 50 transfers and 75 new players this season.
Even with all that turnover, the quarterback matchup stands out. Jackson already proved he can handle IU’s defense.
In 2024, while Kurtis Rourke was out with a thumb injury, Jackson helped guide Indiana to a win over Washington. Cignetti pointed to that stretch when talking about what Jackson brings.
"Tayven played really good football for us in '24, came in at halftime in the Nebraska game, and played a great second half, and started next week against Washington, a game that we won," Cignetti said.
Against the Huskies, Jackson completed 11 of 19 passes for 124 yards with a touchdown and an interception. The touchdown came on a 42-yard strike to Omar Cooper Jr. and pushed Indiana ahead 14-0 early in the second quarter.
Cignetti was blunt about Jackson’s tools.
"He's very talented," Cignetti said. "He's got a live arm, he can run, he's a good athlete. Started a number of games last season, so he's a good player."
Jackson now walks into the 2026 season with a major role to fill. He’s replacing Drew Mestemaker, who won American Conference Offensive Player of the Year honors last season as a redshirt freshman. Mestemaker’s numbers were enormous: 4,379 passing yards, 34 passing touchdowns, a 168.7 passer rating and a 68.4 completion percentage, all single-season program records.
Like several of his former teammates, Mestemaker moved on with former North Texas coach Eric Morris to Oklahoma State.
North Texas turned to a quarterback with plenty of mileage of his own. Neal Bown chose Jackson as his starter in his first season, leaning on experience.
Jackson has appeared in 27 career games with 16 starts across four seasons. Last year at UCF, he started 10 games, went 4-6, and threw for 2,151 yards with 10 passing touchdowns.
“He has a presence to him,” Brown told reporters during camp. “The thing too is he’s been through some adversity at Indiana and UCF.
What that does is it gives you some resiliency. He’s felt disappointment before, and he’s worked extremely hard since he’s been here not to repeat that feeling.
He’s also super talented.”
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