Former Tennessee quarterback Tayven Jackson entered the transfer portal last month after spending two seasons at Indiana. He found his new home on Friday afternoon, committing to Scott Frost and Central Florida.
BREAKING: Indiana transfer QB Tayven Jackson has committed to UCF⚔️ https://t.co/kSYG7dZ8sR pic.twitter.com/VZ8qSU0IOp
— Transfer Portal (@TransferPortal_) January 3, 2025
Jackson’s landing spot is ironic for a couple reasons. He’s going to play for the program that Josh Heupel, his first college coach, led before he came to Tennessee. And Jackson is going to play for Scott Frost— who was Heupel’s predecessor at UCF.
The 6-foot-4 signal caller was the first quarterback commit that Josh Heupel landed at Tennessee. Jackson ranked as a four-star recruit and the No. 198 player in the 2022 recruiting cycle according to the 247sports composite rankings.
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But after redshirting in his first season at Tennessee and the Vols signing five-star quarterback Nico Iamaleava, Jackson decided to enter the transfer portal.
Jackson landed at Indiana where he spent two seasons. He was the off-and-on starter for the Hoosiers in 2023 before serving as Kurtis O’Rourke’s backup in 2024. The Indianapolis native started the Washington game while O’Rourke was injured and he also earned action in a handful of other games.
In his two seasons at Indiana, Jackson completed 101-of-165 passes for 1,263 yards, six touchdowns and six interceptions. He also rushed for 52 yards and four touchdowns.
Now at UCF, Jackson has two years of eligibility remaining where he’ll compete for the Knights’ starting quarterback job. Scott Frost is back in Orlando seven years after he left UCF to be the head coach at Nebraska. Frost is replacing former Auburn coach Gus Malzahn who left his perch atop the UCF program to be the new offensive coordinator Florida State.
