Last year, Terrion Arnold and Khyree Jackson were set to be rookie cornerbacks in the NFL, looking to make their dreams of playing football on the biggest stage a reality. Arnold went on to have a solid campaign. Jackson never got the opportunity.
Several months after being selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the 4th round of the 2024 NFL Draft last spring, Jackson was involved in a car crash on July 6th that resulted in his death, along with two of his high school teammates, in their home state of Maryland.
Jackson finished his college career with one season at Oregon after transferring from Alabama, where he and Arnold were teammates. Heading into his second season with the Detroit Lions, Arnold has elected to change his number to 6, Jackson's former number at Alabama.
“Because I wanted my brother to live through me.” - Terrion Arnold
Terrion Arnold is changing his number on the Detroit Lions to No. 6 in honor of his late former teammate Khyree Jackson. pic.twitter.com/aFCrfzwcuo
It's a touching tribute for a young man that was cut down way too soon. Arnold's reasoning? "Because I wanted my brother to live through me."
Jackson was a promising player coming out of Oregon. He was a leader on the defense in college, put together a very strong outing at the Senior Bowl in 2024, and was carrying plenty of momentum into the beginning of his NFL career.
Last summer, Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell and general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah held a press conference after the loss of Jackson. O'Connell had nothing but the kindest of things to say about Jackson as a player, and more importantly, as a person.
"He had a very, very good spring and was really looking forward to, you know, coming back to training camp and being well on his way, on that path, to having a big impact on our team for this year," O'Connell said. "Ultimately, a tragedy. Like I said, a life ended far too early."
"I remember the first time I saw him up close, it was the Senior Bowl," O'Connell continued. "There were one-on-one reps in the redzone. He had a pension for commentary, let's say, and the player that he was playing against didn't seem to be having very much fun. But I think Khyree was just a joyful spirit."
It was a tragic loss. The gesture from Arnold is heartwarming and will help keep Jackson's spirit alive on the field as the Lions look to continue their run of recent success.
