Quarterback Tayven Jackson, who played in 13 games for IU, will be back at Memorial Stadium on Saturday — as the starter for North Texas, the Hoosiers' season-opening opponent.
Jackson played at IU in 2023 and 2024 before transfering to Central Florida for last season. North Texas announced last week that he would be the Mean Green's starter against the Hoosiers.
Jackson, from Center Grove High School in Greenwood, is the brother of former IU basketball star Trayce Jackson-Davis.
During IU's run to the College Football Playoff in 2024, Jackson took over against Nebraska when starter Kurtis Rourke sustained a thumb injury. He started the following week against Washington. The Hoosiers won both of those games.
"Tayven played really good football for us in '24," IU coach Curt Cignetti said Monday. "Came in at halftime in the Nebraska game and played a great second half, and started the next week against Washington, a game that we won.
"He's very talented. He's got a live arm. He can run. He's a good athlete. He started a number of games last season, so he's good player."
North Texas has had a massive overhaul of its program after the departure of head coach Eric Morris to Oklahoma State. Last season, the Mean Green won a school record 11 games.
Neal Brown became head coach after Morris departed. He was at Texas last season and was West Virginia's head coach the six previous seasons.
North Texas added 52 players from the transfer portal. Defensive coordinator Matt Powledge came from Baylor.
"Yeah, we get a scouting report on all the transfers," Cignetti said. "A lot of them, once we get in the Big Ten play, we will know. Like on the defensive side of the ball, it's been a lot of (reviewing) Baylor tape, and on the offensive side of the ball, a lot of West Virginia tape, and some Texas maybe."
"So it is different," Cignetti said, adding that he has "never really played in a game quite like this one, where there's just so many new faces from players to coaches."
Cignetti also discussed his recent television commercial for State Farm, one of the few high-profile side gigs he has taken since last season's national championship.
"I thought the Indy 500 thing was good," said Cignetti, who drove the pace car. You know, that's part of the fabric of the state and it's a national event. State Farm's been around a real long time. The EA Sports (video game) thing I think was good for recruiting. So, you know, we we turned down a lot, and those are the ones we chose."