Former Minnesota Vikings cornerback Khyree Jackson was killed in a car crash in July 2024. It was three months after he was taken in the fourth round of the 2024 draft.
Jackson began his collegiate career at Fort Scott Community College before transferring to Alabama. He spent two seasons before transferring again, this time to Oregon for his final collegiate season.
Jackson’s former Crimson Tide teammate, Terrion Arnold, is preserving his friend’s memory.
“Gone Forever Live Through Me Brother,” Arnold captioned a picture of Jackson posted to the Detroit Lions corner’s Instagram stories on April 5.
“I had many reasons, because I wore [No]. 6 in high school, too. But then, we all know what happened to friend Khyree. And I just feel like just being able to honor his legacy and then the impact that he even had on me. Khyree, man, just coming out here and then being able to play with somebody who really – Khyree, when he showed up here, it was like no dead moments when it came to football. The guy was a competitor, ultimate competitor. And kind of just, it’s that extra motivation when you look down and you say, ‘Dang, man.’ Like I got on that 6, and my brother living through me at the same time,” Arnold said on “The New Wave Podcast” on April 15.
“Just how they have those same things where it say, football is bigger than you. So just looking at it like, talking to his little brother, like he could go look on the screen, and look in the camera and say, ‘Dang, man. He wearing No. 6 because my big brother. That’s amazing.’ And then just being able to talk to his family, talk to his dad or his mom, and just let him know like man at the end of the day Terrion ain’t forgot about Khyree.”
Vikings Announce Khyree Jackson Foundation
The Vikings honored Jackson with a moment during the preseason. They have continued to work to keep his memory going strong. Jackson’s locker remained in tact this season until his parents gathered his belongings.
During that visit, the Jacksons and the Vikings announced the Khyree Jackson Foundation.
“Ebbony and Raymond Jackson are honoring the memory of their son in a deeply meaningful way,” Vikings.com’s Lindsey Young wrote on April 18. “On Thursday, they officially launched the Khyree Jackson Foundation — nine months after Khyree tragically passed away in a car accident.
“The Khyree Jackson Foundation aims to inspire the next generation of young athletes and students to use their talents to positively influence their communities.”
“They explained the foundation will strive to help youth live up to Khyree’s motto, ‘God didn’t give me these skills to go to waste,’” Young wrote, noting the Vikings are making a $10,000 donation to the foundation.
“The Jacksons plan to take Khyree’s Locker of Hope to underserved neighborhoods in their home state of Maryland to impact more youth in coming days.”
Vikings in Familiar Situation Entering 2025 Draft
Jackson’s death was part of a string of situations that the Vikings had to deal with from a football perspective. They also lost Mekhi Blackmon to a torn ACL during the first practice of training camp.
That left the Vikings scrambling, and they eventually signed Stephon Gilmore, pairing him with Byron Murphy Jr. and Shaquill Griffin.
This offseason, the Vikings have added Isaiah Rodgers as the presumed CB2.
He joins a healthy Blackmon, Murphy, and second-year former undrafted free agent Dwight McGlothern in the Vikings’ defensive backfield. They could still add another player in the draft or in free agency before the season begins.
