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Tayven Jackson was one of Josh Heupel’s first commits to the 2022 class. The former four-star quarterback out of Greenwood, Indiana arrived to campus in January and has hit the ground running.
With one week of spring camp in the books, Jackson has already made a big impression on his offensive coordinator.
“Tayven Jackson just had a really, really good day,” Alex Golesh said on Saturday. “Tayven is really, really fun to watch. He’s a really good athlete. He’s got a really quick release. He’s really grasped the offense through three days, well. It’ll be interesting to see as things pile up as you go into (days) four, five and six – pads on today – what he actually looks like.”
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Though the viewing availability is limited to the beginning stages of practice, it’s noticeable that Jackson looks comfortable set up with the Tennessee routine. That’s not too surprising, though, from a broad standpoint. Jackson was one of the most respected prospects in the class and his leadership was never in question. While at Center Grove High School, Jackson finished his high school career on a 28-game win streak, including two Indiana State Championships.
Practice is exactly that, though. While the freshman quarterback looks to be in rhythm going through drills on the field, his first big opportunity to show what he can do will be in the Vols’ upcoming spring scrimmage.
“It’ll be interesting when we scrimmage next week and coaches are off the field what he looks,” Golesh said. “(He’s) a superb athlete, has a really good understanding and has a really quick trigger. Everything we kind of hoped he would be, he certainly has been that so far.”
Like any freshman, Jackson is still trying to pick up on the intense day-to-day schedule that comes with being a student-athlete. That’s something that any player goes through. But as Jackson continues to suit up for Tennessee, his coaches will continue their plans to grow the quarterback.
“We’ve got to continue to put more on him and he’s got to continue to grow,” Golesh said on Saturday. “We talked with him (about) consistently stringing days together. Can he be better tomorrow than he was today? I know this sounds a little bit cliché but, wipe it clean, play the next play, wipe it clean, play the next play. He doesn’t seem to be bothered by a whole lot. He’s just kind of having fun. That kid won a ton of games in high school. He’s a winner, which is exactly what you want to recruit at that spot.”
The Vols’ biggest moment in the off-season was when they got a commitment from five-star quarterback Nico Iamaleava for the 2023 class. Iamaleava will undoubtedly be a star at Tennessee in the future and will be a player that the entire class is built around. So when you look at it, Tennessee is shaping up to have a wealth of riches at the quarterback position in the future.
In the present, though, Tayven Jackson is working hard here in the first stages of spring camp. The former four-star is learning the system and learning the routine one day at a time.
VIPs at practice today.
Awesome having you, @bgctnv! pic.twitter.com/HMZX6DIliT
— Tennessee Football (@Vol_Football) March 26, 2022
