Homegrown Hoosiers Try To Elevate Football in Basketball-Crazed Indiana

Tayven Jackson, Donaven McCulley and Omar Cooper often matched up in high school football and basketball games at Center Grove and Lawrence North High Schools, but now they're playing key roles on the same team at Indiana.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – As the saying goes, in 49 states it’s just basketball, but this is Indiana. 

Perhaps nowhere is that more true than Indiana University in Bloomington, where basketball recruiting visits are often more anticipated by fans than home football games. It’s understandable, as five basketball national championship banners hang in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall and the football program has more all-time losses than any FBS school.

In what could be a make-or-break season, a number of homegrown Hoosiers are hoping to change that narrative.

Led by coach Tom Allen, a New Castle, Ind., native, the 2023 Indiana football roster features 37 in-state players. Three in particular – Tayven Jackson, Donaven McCulley and Omar Cooper – have stood out in the first two weeks of the season.

Jackson, from Center Grove High School in Greenwood, Ind., was recently named starting quarterback. Two of his top targets are McCulley and Cooper, who were teammates at Lawrence North in Indianapolis. The trio will play close to home on Saturday, when the Hoosiers take on Louisville at Lucas Oil Stadium, the home of the Indianapolis Colts.

Indiana has high expectations for these three, but it wasn’t always set up this way. Jackson, the younger brother of Indiana basketball star Trayce Jackson-Davis, originally committed to Tennessee out of high school before transferring back home before the 2023 season. McCulley arrived in Bloomington as a quarterback before switching to wide receiver last year. And Cooper hadn’t made his mark on the field before last Friday, aside from just four kick returns in 2022.

Indiana needs a big day from Jackson, McCulley and Cooper in the passing game in order to beat Louisville and claim a win that would go a long way toward Indiana’s bowl eligibility hopes. And together, these three have an opportunity to elevate their home-state college football program.

Indiana's Tayven Jackson (2) passes during the first half of the Indiana vs. Indiana State game at Memorial Stadium on Friday, Sept. 8, 2023 :: Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK

It started last week, when Jackson made his first career start against Indiana State.

When starting wide receivers Cam Camper and E.J. Williams left the game with injuries, it was time for Cooper, a redshirt freshman, to step up.

Cooper's first collegiate reception, a 31-yard gain, set up Indiana's second touchdown in as many drives. And by the end of the 41-7 win, Cooper led the Hoosiers with seven catches for 101 yards and earned Indiana's Offensive Player of the Game award.

Cooper said he feels more confident in his second year in the program, which stems from a self-motivation tactic he’s used since high school.

“Just getting in my head and telling myself, 'You know what you can do. You can go out there and perform at any level. You've just got to show everybody else that you can do it, too,’” Cooper said.

It was a surprise even to Cooper to see 100 yards next to his name, but it's exactly what Indiana coach Tom Allen expected when he recruited the 6-foot-1 receiver out of Lawrence North High School in Indianapolis.

"Not surprised. I've always felt like he was special," Allen said. "He had an opportunity to break out, make a lot of plays and be rewarded for doing things the right way each and every day."

Here are 3 of the 7 catches Omar Cooper Jr. had on Friday night against Indiana State. The Redshirt Freshman WR finished the game with 101 total receiving yards. #iufb pic.twitter.com/wAh8HkvIti

— Dan Olinger (@dan_olinger) September 11, 2023

Cooper made a case for more playing time, especially if Indiana is without Williams and Camper. Allen said Thursday that Camper "had a good week of practice," but he has declined to comment on any player's availability, repeating that he'll use the Big Ten's new pregame injury reports to do so.

Regardless of the status of Camper and Williams moving forward, Cooper and his high school teammate, Donaven McCulley, are starting to emerge as two of Indiana's top receivers. Though it's a small sample size, Cooper's performance against Indiana State made him Indiana's leading receiver through two weeks. McCulley is third, behind Camper, with five catches for 64 yards.

While McCulley is starting to excel as a receiver, he originally committed to Indiana as the highest-ranked quarterback recruit in program history. He was named 2019 and 2020 Marion County Player of the Year, won the Indiana Mr. Football position award for quarterbacks and set numerous Lawrence North records.

Cooper was McCulley's favorite target in high school. In 2020, they connected for 1,101 yards and 13 touchdowns and helped Lawrence North achieve its first winning season in 15 years. Despite McCulley heading off to college, Cooper led the team with 702 yards and five touchdowns the following year as a senior.

Allen recalled a conversation during the recruiting process, when Cooper asked, "What is it that sticks out with you when I play?"

"When the ball's anywhere near you," Allen responded. "You come down with it."

@RandyMoss Omar Cooper from Lawrence North High School in Indianapolis is a bad bad man.#YouGotMossed @indystar pic.twitter.com/AlZQSExdHc

— TJ Scorin (@TreyDaBishop) November 6, 2021

Cooper helped Lawrence North win its first sectional championship since 1990 as a senior, setting up a regional championship game against his current quarterback, Tayven Jackson, who played for Center Grove High School.

Lawrence North pulled within three points, but Jackson led a 15-play touchdown drive in the fourth quarter to extend the lead. Cooper caught a touchdown on the following drive, but it was nullified by a holding penalty. In the end, Center Grove’s undefeated season stayed alive, and Jackson and the Trojans went on to win their second consecutive state title.

It’s a loss that still stings Cooper.

“That one came down to the wire,” Cooper said Monday. “I feel like we still should have won to this day.”

While Jackson consistently got the best of McCulley and Cooper on the football field, the Lawrence North basketball team hasn’t lost to Center Grove since the 2017-18 season.

McCulley once made SportsCenter’s Top 10 plays for draining a game-tying, buzzer-beater from half court, and he claims he’s the best basketball player on the IU football team. Cooper said he recently reminded Jackson of a play their sophomore year when he dunked on multiple Center Grove opponents.

McCulley and Cooper agreed that a number of basketball skills translate to football, even in their college careers. McCulley compared releasing off the line and making a move against a cornerback to playing one-on-one basketball. Cooper feels like he’s going up to snatch a rebound when the quarterback tosses him a jump ball.

“It was hard, they were freaky athletic,” Jackson said of their basketball matchups. “In football, too, they almost got us my senior year. Coop was out there making circus catches and Donaven was out there throwing.”

As a true freshman in 2021, McCulley stepped in for injured quarterbacks Michael Penix Jr. and Jack Tuttle and completed 35-of-85 passes for 475 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. He also rushed 64 times for 135 yards with two scores.

But after one season at quarterback, McCulley approached Allen about switching to wide receiver. He’s worked on slimming down and becoming faster since making the change, and he said Monday he’s down to 4 or 5 percent body fat. As a result, he feels quicker on game day.

Last season, McCulley was joined in the receivers room by Cooper, who committed to Indiana as a four-star recruit and the No. 299 player in the nation, per the 247 Sports Composite rankings.

McCulley said it’s been extremely fun to be in the same position group as Cooper, who he views as a little brother. The two were close in high school, but Cooper said their relationship has grown more in college. They often give each other bits of advice, whether it’s route-running advice or small details of the position.

“That's one of the greatest feelings just because we can always talk to each other,” Cooper said. “See what mistakes one made or see what we did good on one play and tell each other, just to make each other better every day in practice and games."

Indiana Hoosiers wide receiver Donaven McCulley (1) stiff arms Indiana State defensive back Maddix Blackwell (17) in the first half at Memorial Stadium / Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

The Lawrence North duo has quickly become a frequent option for Jackson in his young career. Jackson connected with McCulley for his lone completion in five attempts against Ohio State, then generated 58 yards on four passes to McCulley against Indiana State.

"I love how [Jackson] carries himself,” McCulley said. “He carries himself with a lot of confidence. Sometimes we'll even make eye contact during the game, and I'll know exactly what he wants me to do.”

Cooper said he talked with Jackson when he entered the transfer portal and told him he’d have a chance to compete for the starting quarterback job, which he ultimately won. The two knew each other as high school recruits in Indiana, but it’s clear after their first full game together that connection has grown.

Jackson described Cooper as a “dog,” saying he was proud of the way he stepped up against Indiana State, which has been a constant message from Allen.

Indiana will need the entire roster to do just that Saturday against Louisville, and the play of Jackson, McCulley and Cooper will be crucial. The quarterback competition came with a lot of pressure for Jackson, but Allen said he's seen a more comfortable version of his quarterback this week in practice after being named starter.

For Jackson, his next game comes in a familiar environment, as he won back-to-back state titles at Lucas Oil Stadium.

The plan remains the same, too.

“It’s very exciting,” Jackson said of his return. “Gotta thank the Trojans. We went there three years straight, so it’s nothing new. I’m just going to go out there and try to win a football game.”

Indiana's Donaven McCulley (1), Tayven Jackson (2) and Omar Cooper Jr. (3) have played key roles for the Hoosiers in 2023 :: Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times and Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

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