BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Quarterback Tayven Jackson is entering the 2024 season in the same role he was in to close the 2023 campaign.
Coming into the year, Jackson is slotted to backup Indiana starter Kurtis Rourke after playing behind Brendan Sorsby for the back half of last season.
Ahead of Jackson's redshirt sophomore season, preview the former Center Grove star's upcoming season with the Hoosiers.
Check out our other 2024 Indiana football player previews:
2023 Season Recap
Last year in Bloomington -- Jackson's first season with the Hoosiers -- the Greenwood, Indiana native appeared in six games and made five starts for the cream and crimson.
After playing sparingly in Indiana's season opening loss versus Ohio State, Jackson earned the Hoosiers' starting job beginning the very next week.
The 6-foot-3 signal caller led Indiana to a 2-3 record as Indiana's starter a season ago, with non-conference wins over Indiana State and Akron.
On the season, Jackson completed 60.9% of his passes for 914 yards through the air. He finished with two passing touchdowns and five interceptions last year. Jackson also added a touchdown on the ground in his first season in Bloomington.
Jackson's 2023 season was similar to that of the team's season as a whole. The 2023 campaign was filled high and lows, and unfortunately for Jackson and the Hoosiers the lows appeared to come more frequently than the highs.
2024 Season Outlook
In his second season at Indiana, Jackson figures to spend a majority of the year at the Hoosiers' backup quarterback.
Even though Jackson isn't likely to see many in-game reps this year, the 2024 season is still valuable for Jackson and his continued development as a player.
After all, Rourke is entering his final season of eligibility and Jackson could step into the starting role for the Hoosiers as early as next season.
Additionally, as is the case for any team, the backup quarterback must stay ready at all times. Injuries are a commonality in college football and Jackson must be prepared to step in at a moment's notice.
Jackson has a coaching staff around him that is known for developing quarterbacks. He also has a quarterback starting in front of him with a plethora of starting experience at the collegiate level.
Those two factors should aid Jackson in his growth through the upcoming season.
He must soak up all the knowledge he can from those around him so that when his time eventually comes around again, he's as prepared as he can possibly be to seize it.
From Cignetti
"Tayven (Jackson) made some nice throws," Cignetti said following IU's spring game in mid April. "I think there's a healthy competition (amongst the quarterbacks) heading into summer and fall camp. Competition is a great thing."
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