Tennessee football adds elite QB Tayven Jackson to 2022 class

Josh Heupel has his guy. After months of speculation over which quarterback Tennessee football would pick up for its 2022 recruiting class, the Vols found one from Indiana, where their most famous quarterback in history enjoyed a Hall-of-Fame professional career.

Tayven Jackson, a four-star across all services out of the Indianapolis area, committed to Rocky Top on Wednesday. Coming out of Center Grove High School in Greenwood, Ind., Jackson stands around 6’4″ or 6’5″ and weighs in the 185 to 195-pound range.

Despite being listed as a dual-threat on Rivals, Jackson is listed as a drop-back passer on 247Sports and ESPN. Clearly a mobile quarterback who can throw from the pocket, Jackson announced his commitment to Tennessee football with a video on Twitter.

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Now, the Vols could very well have another major quarterback battle next year. Virginia Tech Hokies transfer Hendon Hooker only has one year of eligibility with the Vols, so if he wins the job this fall, the race opens up again.

You would assume that somebody would transfer among Joe Milton, Brian Maurer, Harrison Bailey and Kaidon Salter before then, but there’s no way of knowing for sure. It’s likely at least two of those guys along with Jackson compete for the job.

Coming from the Indianapolis area, UT obviously had an interesting connection with Peyton Manning, a former Vol, being such a star there. Add in Heupel’s ability to turn quarterbacks into stars, and it’s easy to see why the Vols would be appealing to a kid like Jackson.

The talent that Jackson has seems pretty obvious based on what he’s been doing in high school. According to MaxPreps, he completed 62.1 percent of his passes this past year for 1,756 yards, 17 touchdowns and five interceptions. He averaged over nine and a half yards an attempt and ran for another six touchdowns. Here is a look at his highlight reel.

As you can see, Jackson can make any throw in the book, and he’s also great when running with the football. Now, his decision-making is unproven, as he did have lots of protection on many of his throws, but the coaches can work with that. All in all, he’s a great pickup.

With Jackson choosing Big Orange Country, Tennessee football now has three commitments for 2022. Three-star linebacker Elijah Herring and three-star edge rusher Venson Sneed committed to the Vols on April 14 and April 15 respectively.