Teammates Confident in Tayven Jackson Replacing Injured Quarterback Kurtis Rourke

Indiana quarterback Tayven Jackson steps in for the injured Kurtis Rourke on Saturday against Washington with ESPN College GameDay in Bloomington. After an up and down 2023 season, teammates have seen Jackson improve under the new coaching staff.

Indiana's Tayven Jackson (2) passes against Nebraska at Memorial Stadium. / Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Omar Cooper Jr. has been around Tayven Jackson long enough to recognize growth in the quarterback’s game.

They competed against each other growing up, with Cooper playing wide receiver at Lawrence North High School in Indianapolis and Jackson quarterbacking back-to-back undefeated state championship teams at Center Grove High School in Greenwood, Ind. They battled on the high school basketball court.

That connection has grown over the last two seasons as a quarterback-receiver duo at Indiana. They both got their first real taste of college football last season, and they frequently teamed up on the second-team offense leading up to the 2024 season.

“Tayven’s my dog,” Cooper said.

Last season didn’t go as planned for Jackson, who lost the starting quarterback job after six games. But he and Cooper stayed at Indiana through the coaching change, and they’ll play key roles in Saturday’s Noon ET kickoff against Washington at Memorial Stadium.

Indiana’s starting quarterback Kurtis Rourke is out with a thumb injury, which moved the spotlight back to Jackson. This time around, Cooper and Indiana coach Curt Cignetti see an improved quarterback.

“I feel like Tayven has gotten way more confident in the past year,” Cooper said. “Coach Tino [Sunseri] has helped him out a lot. He’s developed a lot more since last year. So I feel like him playing now will be a big opportunity for him and a great way for him to step up and showcase what his abilities are.”

Jackson, a redshirt sophomore, filled in for Rourke in the second half of Indiana’s win over Nebraska on Saturday. The Hoosiers led 28-7 at halftime, and they maintained that pace with Jackson at quarterback on their way to a 56-7 victory.

Jackson led the Hoosiers to four touchdowns in five drives before kneeling out the final seconds of the dominant victory. He completed 7 of 8 passes for 91 yards and two touchdowns, including a 15-yard touchdown pass to Elijah Sarratt, which was named the play of the week in the Big Ten.

What a catch‼️ What a throw‼️ 🗣️

Tayven Jackson & Elijah Sarratt's sweet @IndianaFootball TD connection is our Week 8 #B1GFootball 𝙋𝙡𝙖𝙮 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙒𝙚𝙚𝙠.

📍 @OldTrapper pic.twitter.com/4oQids3CTn

— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) October 21, 2024

Cooper thought Jackson’s performance against Nebraska showed the importance of staying ready at all times, because opportunities can come when least expected.

“Just the fact that he sat out the whole first half and came out of halftime and still led us to like three or four more scoring drives,” Cooper said. “He’s showing us he has the abilities to keep this team rolling, and he’s gonna do a really good job.”

The 6-foot-4 quarterback also showed off his mobility, rushing twice for 21 yards. That was on display earlier in the season against Western Illinois, when Jackson tip-toed the sideline for a 13-yard touchdown run. 

In three appearances this season, Jackson has completed 12 of 18 passes for 225 yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions, along with six rushes for 36 yards and a score. 

From a defensive perspective, Indiana safety Shawn Asbury II thinks Jackson can give Washington issues in a variety of ways. 

“He’s able to run. I mean, Tayven’s a great quarterback,” Asbury said. “I feel like a lot of people kind of know how good Tayven really is. But what I’ve seen from Tayven, today he hit me with a crazy no-look pass, I mean, I couldn’t really do much. Tayven’s a good quarterback.”

Jackson transferred to Indiana prior to the 2023 season under former head coach Tom Allen. He began his career at Tennessee, where he committed as a four-star prospect and the No. 12 quarterback in the class of 2022. He played sparingly as a freshman and returned home, where his older brother, Trayce Jackson-Davis, was in the midst of an All-American season on the basketball court. 

Jackson had five starting opportunities last season under Allen and offensive coordinator Walt Bell, and he split time with Brendan Sorsby in the Hoosiers’ loss at Michigan. Sorsby ultimately took hold of the starting job for the final six games of the season. Jackson finished the year completing 78 of 128 passes for 914 yards, two touchdowns and five interceptions.

Cooper, who’s close friends with Jackson off the field, knew it was a challenging season for Jackson, but he didn’t see it outwardly affect the young quarterback. 

“Honestly, he handled it pretty well,” Cooper said. “He didn’t show it, that he was sad or nothing or down. He always came in with a smile on his face, happy guy, and just getting everybody pumped. So honestly, I think he did a really good job.”

Indiana Hoosiers wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. (3) celebrates a touchdown against Maryland at Memorial Stadium. / Robert Goddin-Imagn Images

Teammates and coaches agree Jackson has benefitted from learning from Rourke, a sixth-year senior with over 1,000 career pass attempts at Indiana and Ohio University. Cooper said Jackson knew he wouldn’t have the starting job with Rourke coming in, so he focused on his personal development and being a great teammate.

“It was helpful for [Tayven] to have an opportunity to learn and figure out what helped Kurtis be successful,” Cooper said. “So he used that to fuel him and help him for his future.”

Over the last 10-plus months, Jackson has also been mentored by quarterbacks coach and co-offensive coordinator Tino Sunseri, offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan and Cignetti. They have a strong track record of success with quarterbacks, coaching four conference player of the year winners at James Madison.

“[Sunseri] is a really good quarterback coach,” Cignetti said. “Has great relationships with those guys, student of the game, communicates really well. … Since Tino has been here, I think he's taken those guys to another level.”

“I think offensively we do a nice job in terms of our system, giving the quarterback answers. Every play's got an answer. We build the offense around the quarterback.”

Jackson’s first start of the 2024 season coincides with ESPN’s College GameDay pregame show coming to Bloomington for the highly anticipated matchup against Washington. In coach Jedd Fisch’s first season, Washington has the nation’s No. 1 pass defense, allowing just 123 passing yards per game.

It’ll be a challenge for both sides, though, as Washington faces an Indiana offense that leads the nation at 48.7 points per game and ranks 11th in passing yards per game. Jackson has shown improvement this season, and now he has a chance to help extend Indiana’s historic 7-0 start.

“He's got excellent potential, and he's gotten better,” Cignetti said. “Now he's got an opportunity. He's got to take it and run with it.”

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