Overview
- North Texas announced Wednesday that fifth-year senior Tayven Jackson will start the Sept. 5 opener at Indiana after winning the fall-camp quarterback competition.
- Jackson beat younger contenders Chaston Ditta, Chris Jimerson Jr. and Ziondre Williams to secure the Week 1 role following evaluations in scrimmages and camp.
- Jackson arrives after a multi-school career that included Tennessee, two seasons at Indiana and a 2025 starting year at UCF where he threw for 2,151 yards and added three rushing touchdowns.
- The decision follows North Texas’s coaching change this offseason when Neal Brown replaced Eric Morris, and Brown said Jackson’s experience and resilience fit the program’s immediate needs.
- Jackson will make his North Texas debut in Bloomington against the Hoosiers, creating a reunion storyline and offering an early measurement of how Brown’s offense will perform under game pressure.