No.198 4★, national recruit is what Tayven Jackson has put on film since landing at North Texas — the bet is starting to settle.
6′4″ · 212 lb · Greenwood, IN · Center Grove HS
CFB Index
A single number blending on-field production (an EPA-based value lane) with box-score output for this player's position.
0-100, scaled within each position's own cohort — not directly comparable across positions.
The numbers
passing yards · 2026
2 TD · 1 INT · 7.9 per attempt
2 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 233 pass yds, 2 TD, 15 rush yds, vs UNLV
The play that turned itSwung UCF from 31% to 62% to win.Jacksonville State at UCF · 17-10
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
4 quarterback for North Texas. 2026: 2 games with a box-score line.
Aura™ · Him Watch
+0aura tax
45th pctl our passing-value metric (wEPA) QBs · 160 qualified, n=51
— the discourse is fair.Buzz vs Tape
His own fans are far more bullish than the rival fanbase.
Sweet Victory. The football team won its first game of the season against Jacksonville State 17-10. This marked the program’s 300th win. Anthony Venneri made a 24-yard field goal in the third quarter. Dylan Wade caught a 39-yard pass from…
Also worth knowing:
“Tayven Jackson beat Washington in his only start as QB for Indiana in 2024. He will be great for UNT.”
Fan claims · every quote verified verbatim
That was a hard game to watch but ultimately I think there's a few positive takeaways. First, I think Tayven showed enough to warrant him starting moving forward.
Based on 1 comment from 1 poster across 1 thread · Aug 29, 2025 · via CFB
Tayven Jackson
Tayven Jackson arrives at North Texas with a new fit to prove and an old chapter behind him.
4★ · NATIONAL RECRUIT
No.198
recruiting national rank
AI-generated narrative · may contain errors · not journalism · updated 2026-09-15
His career
6 programs, one constant: he played.
The role got bigger.
Career arc
Coaching lineage · 2022–2026
4 coachesPlayed under 4 different head coaches: Seth Littrell, Eric Morris, Drew Svoboda, and Neal Brown. Multi-era developmental context.
Where He Ended Up · Transfer
Transferred to North Texas
Season context · Team result + system
Where this profile ranks vs the QB cohort
Box-score percentiles
Elite: completion % (85th percentile). Concern: pass yards (0th percentile).
Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score rates.
Pass Profile · True throw depth (charted plays)
Adjusted ANY/A, sack rate, and where the yards came from
Adjusted ANY/A
7.2338 of 75 QBsSack rate
3.6%30 of 75 QBsRarely sacked (30 of 75 QBs) and still 38 of 75 in Adjusted ANY/A.
Adjusted ANY/A uses full-season box-score totals (attempts, yards, TDs, INTs); sack rate is play-by-play-derived.
Behind LOS · Negative air yds
Short · 0–9 air yds
Middle · 10–19 air yds
Deep · 20+ air yds
Overall 67.9% completion on 53 attempts · 36% of attempts thrown 0–9 air yds.
Splits
Per-game splits
Through 2 games: 212 YDS/g, 1.0 TD/g, 8.0 YPA, 0.5 INT/g — splits start at 3 games.
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Neal Brown
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Player standing · 2026
On the two-deep and pushing for snaps.
| Season | Team | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | North Texas | 37 | 54 | 68.5% | 425 | 7.9 | 2 | 1 | 143.1 | 61 | -- | -- |
| 2025 | UCF | 200 | 315 | 63.5% | 2,151 | 6.8 | 10 | 8 | 126.2 | 50 | -- | -- |
| 2024 | Indiana | 23 | 37 | 62.2% | 349 | 9.4 | 4 | 1 | 171.7 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2023 | Indiana | 78 | 128 | 60.9% | 914 | 7.1 | 2 | 5 | 118.3 | 54 | -- | -- |
| 2022 | Tennessee | 3 | 4 | 75.0% | 37 | 9.2 | 0 | 0 | 152.7 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 341 | 538 | 63.4% | 3,876 | 7.2 | 18 | 15 | 129.4 | 52 | -- | -- |
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | North Texas | 13 | 37 | 2.8 | 1 | -- |
| 2025 | UCF | 54 | 85 | 1.6 | 3 | -- |
| 2024 | Indiana | 15 | 73 | 4.9 | 3 | -- |
| 2023 | Indiana | 28 | -21 | -0.8 | 1 | -- |
| 2022 | Tennessee | 4 | 10 | 2.5 | 1 | -- |
| Career | 114 | 184 | 1.6 | 9 | -- |
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 2 · 2026
W 44–6
vs UNLV
233 yds · 2 TD · 0 INT · QBR 74.9 · 15 rush yds (7 car) · 1 TD
Dominant 38-point win at home against UNLV.
With J. White — 124 rush yds (12 car) · 1 TD · I. Ratliff — 42 AVG · 1 IN 20 · 50 LONG
Signature plays · top plays by |EPA|
The plays that mattered most
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 2 games
| Wk | Opp | CMP/ATT | YDS | TD | INT | YPA | QBR | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | L 16-52@ Indiana | 22/28 | 192 | 0 | 1 | 6.9 | — | |
| Wk 2 | W 44-6vs UNLV | 15/26 | 233 | 2 | 0 | 9.0 | 74.9 | Season-high 233 yds |
| Total | 37/54 | 425 | 2 | 1 | 8.0 | 74.9 |
Play style
Operates within the system without forcing anything.
CFB Index positional classification
Player DNA
Balanced passer who operates within the system, without one standout number carrying the profile.
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Ryan Browne’s 2025 season.
Matches Ryan on
Differs from Ryan on
Through 4 college seasons, his career arc tracks closest to Zac Thomas’s path through App State.
Matches Zac on
As a senior, his production profile tracks closest to Taisun Phommachanh's senior season at Massachusetts (2023).
Matches Taisun on
Differs from Taisun on
Player DNA
Heisman Trajectory · 2026
Peaked at #237 this season.
Prior to UNT: Spent the 2025 season at UCF, was at Indiana in 2024 and 2023 and started his career at Tennessee in 2022 … has appeared in 27 games with 16 starts in his first four collegiate seasons … has completed 304 of 484 passes (62.8%) for 16 touchdowns with 14 interceptions in his career …...