Minnesota Vikings fourth-round pick Khyree Jackson has tragically lost his life aged 24 just month after realizing his dream of being drafted into the NFL after an impressive college football career
Former Oregon Ducks defensive back and current Minnesota Vikings star Khyree Jackson has tragically died aged 24. It has been widely reported that Jackson died in an auto accident.
TMZ has reported that Jackson died in Upper Marlboro, Maryland in the early hours of Saturday, with his mother said to have received a call about his death at 4am.
Jackson had been a fourth-round pick in this year’s NFL Draft after starring as an outside cornerback with Oregon after transferring from Alabama before joining the Vikings – where he hoped to compete for a starting spot.
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The 24-year-old had an incredible story and rise to finding his way on two of the best college football teams in the nation before being drafted into the NFL – working at a grocery store after initially failing to make it into college.
Jackson admitted on a podcast after being drafted that he had essentially giving up on football after high school, getting a job at a grocery store being focussing on becoming a e-sports gamer.
He said: “At one point I was not even thinking about football. I had just won employee of the month at a grocery store, I wasn’t even thinking about football. I had told my mum that I was about to be a grocery store worker. I played 2k a lot too, so I was trying to make it in that… but football became foggy, I would say.”
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He added: “Two of my close friends were both D1 players and they motivated me. When I first ended up leaving junior college – I left and just stayed at my house for six straight months. I was embarrassed to tell them and it was eating away at me.”
Jackson added that he eventually found his way back into a community college, before being given a scholarship to play for Alabama – where he spent two years before transferring to Oregon and becoming the starting cornerback.
Jackson was named First Team All Pac-12 for his impressive 2023 season, with three interceptions and 34 tackles before impressing scouts with his athletic abilities at his rare size of 6-foot-4 for the cornerback position.
A statement from Vikings general manager Kewsi Adofo-Mensah read: “I am heartbroken by the loss of Khyree. As we got to know him throughout the pre-draft process, it was clear the goals Khyree wanted to accomplish both professionally and personally.
“His story was one of resilience. He was taking steps to become the best version of himself not just for him, but for those who cared about and looked up to him. Khyree’s personality captured every room he was in.
“I’m devastated that his life and everything he had in front of him has been cut short. My thoughts are with Khyree’s family and friends, those who played with and coached him in college, and his teammates and coaches here at the Vikings.”