Tayven Jackson calls Hendon Hooker, Joe Milton 'Heisman quarterbacks'

Former Tennessee football quarterback Tayven Jackson moved closer to home by transferring to Indiana after one season in Knoxville.

But he had some strong compliments for former quarterback teammates Hendon Hooker and Joe Milton.

"I think they're both Heisman quarterbacks," Jackson said Saturday while speaking with media at IU. "I think they're both top quarterbacks in college football, and I think they will be top quarterbacks in the NFL soon."

The two quarterbacks also led by example for the young QB.

"Hendon and Joe really taught me how to take this game into a business perspective, " Jackson said. "Always on time, always doing the right thing. always going overboard. Getting in, getting film, betting work in — nothing is ever enough. You have to go over the top, you have to do everything almost perfect. That's what they taught me."

Jackson transferred to Indiana after one season in Knoxville. The former 4-star recruit from Greenwood, Indiana, received his first Power Five offer from Indiana during the high school recruiting process.

Jackson completed 3 of 4 passes for 37 yards while adding a rushing touchdown in three games as a true freshman with the Vols and will have a full four years of eligibility at Indiana.

Hooker was a Heisman Trophy candidate and led the Vols to the precipice to a College Football Playoff berth before the Nov. 19 loss to South Carolina in which he suffered a season-ending knee injury. Milton stepped in and smashed Vanderbilt on the road and Clemson in the Orange Bowl in his two starts.

"Reading defenses and knowing what coverages defenses are in, Tennessee showed me not just on-field work is the definition of playing quarterback," Jackson said. "Most quarterbacks in the league and quarterbacks at Tennessee right now, their board work and knowledge of the game is unreal."