Tennessee commit Tayven Jackson has Center Grove thinking repeat
GREENWOOD, Ind. (BVM) — The Center Grove football program has been a powerhouse within the state of Indiana for many years, and they continue churning out talent that keeps them at the top.
The Trojans’ success of course also starts at the top, as the program is led by long-time head coach, Eric Moore. Coaching at Center Grove for over 20 years, Moore has led the program to three state championships in 2008, 2015 and last season in 2020. The former Indiana University football player and Indiana High School Football Hall of Fame member is coming off back-to-back state coach of the year awards. Last season, he led the Trojans to a No. 8 overall national ranking.
While there are plenty of players who contributed to Center Grove’s perfect 14-0 season, last year the offense was led by a couple of standouts. The first was Carson Steele, Indiana’s Mr. Football in 2020 who finished his career with nearly 6,000 rushing yards. The former Trojan graduated last spring and now suits up on Saturdays at Ball State.
The other piece of the offensive engine was a quarterback who will also be playing on Saturdays sooner than later: Tayven Jackson. A multi-sport athlete also excelling in track and basketball at Center Grove, Jackson’s greatest talent may come under center on the football field, where he has already been dubbed by some — including his future college coach — as a “mini Mahomes.”
When mentioning Jackson, one of the first things that may come up is his terrific family athletic genes. The Center Grove senior is the brother of current Indiana Hoosier basketball star Trayce Jackson-Davis, and has followed suit by having a nice basketball career for the Trojans, helping lead the team to a Class 4A sectional title last winter.
However, Tayven’s name is and will become even greater known based on his football talent. The quarterback is a consensus four-star recruit, and last spring, he officially committed to play college football in the SEC for the Tennessee Volunteers.
COMMITTED🟠⚪️ #AGTG @xfactorQB pic.twitter.com/iOOab7Ntpa
— Tayven jackson (@Tayvenjacksonn2) April 28, 2021
As good as Tayven now is with a potential in the game that not many have, it wasn’t always successful right away. As a freshman, the quarterback saw the varsity field sparingly for the Trojans. However, that would change when he took over the full-time starting role in 2019 as a sophomore, passing for over 1,200 yards. Yet, inconsistency still showed, as he threw for nine touchdowns compared to 10 interceptions.
But in his junior season, the flip switched, as Tayven threw for 1,756 yards and 17 touchdowns. He also displayed dual-threat ability throughout the campaign, rushing for nearly 200 yards and six touchdowns.
The breakout campaign launched Tayven to the No. 13-ranked quarterback in the Class of 2022 in 247Sports’ composite rankings. Meanwhile, he became an extremely sought after college recruit, earning over 30 Division I offers. Ultimately, the four-star narrowed his options down to Arizona State, UCLA, Florida State, Texas A&M and Tennessee, and it was Josh Heupel’s Vols that won out.
Tayven became the third member of the Vols’ 2022 class at the time of his commitment, and also the class’ first quarterback. And after seeing what he has done so far as a senior in 2021, Heupel and his staff have to be thrilled they were able to land the elite prospect.
So far, the Trojans have carried over their success from last season, beginning this campaign at 5-0. Ranked No. 9 in the nation by MaxPreps, Center Grove continues to ride high on a 19-game winning streak.
Let’s Go!! https://t.co/splPTJU923
— CG Trojan Football (@CGTrojanFootbal) September 20, 2021
The offense has not missed a beat so far in 2021, as they have scored 38 points or more in each of the five contests. The season began with a 38-14 blowout of Warren Central in the opener, a game which Jackson and the offense impressed again.
“Offensively we made some plays in the first half that people probably don’t think we can do,” Moore said after the Warren Central contest. “We have a gifted offensive team. He [Tayven] played good tonight. He has things to improve on but he can throw a long ball better than anybody I’ve ever seen. We’ve got to go make some plays for him. That’ll all get better as we go.”
Most recently, Center Grove is coming off a dominating 53-7 effort over North Central.
Perhaps one of the highlights of the first half of the season, however, is the team’s quarterback setting the program’s all-time passing mark. In game two of the year versus Decatur Central, Tayven only played about a half in what was a 56-7 blowout, but still passed for around 100 yards and two touchdowns to set the new mark.
Congratulations to senior Tayven Jackson for setting the Center Grove High School Career Passing Yards record! #TrojanPride pic.twitter.com/5tUCyWKrWC
— CG Sports Network (@CGSportsNetwork) August 28, 2021
Now, he continues to build on it with every game he plays. As he goes through the rest of the season, expectations will continue to get higher, and they will be at a new level once he heads to Knoxville, Tennessee next year. Beyond, Tayven may even have the skills to see time at football’s highest level.
But right now, it’s about winning another state championship for the young quarterback. Some tough games remain on the schedule for Center Grove, including a regular-season finale against Cathedral High School in October. While returning to Lucas Oil Stadium in November will take more than just a great effort from Tayven, the Trojans are happy to have an elite weapon on their side — one who has the potential to soon be called a back-to-back champion.
