EUGENE — Former Oregon cornerback Kyrie Jackson died overnight in a car accident near Temple Hills, Maryland, shortly after fulfilling his NFL dream and being selected by the Vikings in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Rest in peace, Kylie…I love you translator I am lost for words. I will miss your smile. Great player and great person.
— Dan Lanning (@CoachDanLanning) July 6, 2024
Jackson has one of the greatest perseverance and hard work stories in college football. During his high school years, Jackson led Dr. Henry Wise High School to a perfect season (14-0) and won a state championship. Jackson was an outstanding athlete, finishing his senior year with 39 catches for 612 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Despite performing well in high school, Jackson wasn't good enough to continue his football career at the Division I level, after which he moved west to Arizona to play for Arizona Western College.
However, in 2018, Jackson decided to retire from football and move back to his hometown of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, without telling his friends that he had dropped out.
“I told them I was still in school,” Jackson said. “I'd been stuck at home for six months and nobody knew. And that was really tormenting me.”
After seemingly giving up on football, Jackson got a job at a grocery store and was working his way up to the NBA 2K League — he was ranked in the top 250 and preparing for the draft — Jackson soon realized he had to tell his friends he was done with football.
“I finally told my friends, and in that moment I really thought, 'If I'm even embarrassed to tell them, maybe I want to get up and give it another go instead of just sitting here pouting.'”
Then another opportunity to continue his football career came up, and in 2019, Jackson went on to play for Fort Scott Community College.
“I went back and played receiver first. I felt like I had earned the coach's trust, so I went into his office and said, 'Actually, I wanted to play cornerback,'” Jackson said. “I told him, 'I'm a junior college guy. I've got to produce results to get out of here. … At least I can control my own destiny.'”
Jackson's football career took off from there. He became one of the top junior college defensive prospects in the country, being ranked No. 1 overall in the ESPN Junior College 50, and finished the 2019 season with 25 tackles and three interceptions.
Jackson's success in junior college caught the attention of some of the top football programs in the nation, and he signed with the University of Alabama to play for legendary coach Nick Saban.
Jackson played two seasons (2021 and 2022) at the University of Alabama before transferring to the University of Oregon. As a Duck, Jackson led Oregon with three interceptions and recorded 34 total tackles (25 solo), including 5.0 tackles for loss and 2.0 sacks. His three interceptions are the second-most in the Pac-12. Jackson also led the Ducks with 10 passes defensed, the fourth-most in the Pac-12.
Jackson was named to the All-Pacific-12 Conference First Team following his performance at Oregon and played in 12 games for the Ducks before opting out of the NBA Fiesta Bowl to prepare for the NFL Draft.
The Minnesota Vikings drafted the former Oregon cornerback in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
From the deli counter to the league, Kyrie Jackson's story is one of hard work and perseverance, and though his life was cut short, his journey will continue to inspire young athletes with big dreams across the country.
[RELATED: Oregon Football Coaches, Players React to Khyree Jackson News]
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