Former Center Grove quarterback is 'very talented.' Indiana football knows he'll pose challenge

BLOOMINGTON — Indiana football coach Curt Cignetti and his staff have the tough task this week of trying to game plan for a North Texas team that welcomed more than 50 transfers and 75 new faces.

One area where IU has a leg up on their homework is at quarterback.

Last week, North Texas announced a familiar face as starter when it named Tayven Jackson to oppose IU. The Center Grove alum from outside Indianapolis made six starts over two seasons in Bloomington and won a game over Washington in 2024 while Kurtis Rourke was sidelined with a thumb injury.

"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.

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Against the Huskies, Jackson threw for 124 yards (11 of 19) with a touchdown and interception. The score came on a 42-yard pass to Omar Cooper Jr. and gave the Hoosiers a 14-0 lead early in the second quarter.

"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 heads into the 2026 season with big shoes to fill.

He's looking to step in for Drew Mestemaker, who earned American Conference Offensive Player of the Year honors last season as a redshirt freshman. Mestemaker set single-season program records for passing yards (4,379 yards), passing touchdowns (34), passer rating (168.7) and completion percentage (68.4%).

Like many of his former teammates, he followed former North Texas coach Eric Morris to Oklahoma State.

The Mean Green's new coach, Neal Bown, opted for the experienced option in his first season by picking Jackson. The well-traveled quarterback has played in 27 career games (16 starts) over four seasons. Last year, he went 4-6 as a starter for UCF 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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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Former Center Grove quarterback is 'very talented.' Indiana football knows he'll pose challenge

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