Tayven Jackson will make his first start at quarterback for UCF, head coach Scott Frost announced Thursday during a radio interview.
The former Indiana Hoosier and Tennessee Volunteer, Tayven Jackson threw for 282 yards and two touchdowns and led the game-winning drive in the final two minutes as UCF defeated Jacksonville State
“Cam’s going to be out this week,” Frost said on College Sports on SiriusXM on Thursday. Frost confirmed to hosts Dusty Dvoracek and Danny Kanell. "Tayven did a great job coming in and replacing him last week, and he’s getting another shot this week.”
"We're going into the game with Tayven and JB (Jacurri Brown), and that’s fine. Tayven did a great job coming in and replacing him last week and he's getting another shot this week."
Scott Frost joined @DustyDvoracek & @dannykanell this morning to provide an update on his QBs.@coach_frost says Cam Fancher needs more time to heal so Tayven Jackson will get the start for @UCF_Football. pic.twitter.com/ifpht2odGF
— College Sports on SiriusXM (@SXMCollege) September 4, 2025
“Tayven’s mentality, to be honest, after he got the news that Cam was starting, I saw an uptick in him,” Frost said in a press conference Monday. “If it takes something to get him angry to play the way he played, then I’m going to keep him angry all the time.”
Tayven Jackson is going to be the 7th QB to start for UCF in the team’s last 15 games https://t.co/O6KUISdcXF
— Christian Simmons (@ByCASimmons) September 4, 2025
Jackson took over when starting quarterback Cam Fancher was injured in the second quarter. Jackson completed 17 of his 24 passing attempts, including two touchdowns, one of which was the go-ahead score for the Knights late in the fourth quarter.
Before Fancher's injury he only completed five of nine passes for 32 yards and also rushed four times for 39 yards.
Jackson, a 6-foot-4, 215-pound dual-threat from Greenwood, Indiana, has a solid amount of experience under center, making six starts over the previous two seasons at Indiana. He had an overall record of 3-3 as a Hoosiers. He totaled141 yards of offense and two touchdowns last October in a victory over Washington, helping the Hoosiers on their path to the College Football Playoff.
The UCF Golden Knights will look to improve to 2-0 at 7 p.m. Saturday against North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (NCA&T) at FBC Mortgage Stadium in Orlando, Florida.