In an alternate universe, Khyree Jackson might be working as a manager at the local grocery store, or maybe playing video games professionally as a member of the NBA 2K League.
Seriously. Both options were on the table when he stepped away from football as a teenager.
Eventually, Jackson returned to the game he loved, parlaying his undying determination into an opportunity to play at the highest level The cornerback was officially rewarded for his hard work on Saturday when the Vikings selected him with the No. 108 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
He wouldn’t change his journey for the world.
“I feel like it taught me a lot of perseverance,” Jackson said. “It helped turn me into the man that I am today.”
After signing to play at Arizona Western College, Jackson dropped out before playing a single snap. He secretly returned to his hometown of Upper Marlboro, Md., picked up a job behind the deli counter at the nearby Harris Teeter, and played NBA 2K to pass the time. He told his friends he was still in school.
“Nobody knew,” Jackson said. “It was kind of eating away at me.”
He finally came clean to his friends and realized the embarrassment he was feeling was a big enough reason to give football another shot. Though he still proudly flaunts the time he was named Employee of the Month at Harris Teeter, and he claims he got so good at NBA 2K that he legitimately could have gone pro, Jackson couldn’t escape the gravitational pull football still had on his life.
It started with Jackson attending Fort Scott Community College in Kansas, where he initially played wide receiver. After earning the trust of the coaching staff, Jackson asked if he could switch to cornerback. He felt that position change would put him on the best path to advance his career.
“I felt like at cornerback at least I can kind of control my own destiny,” Jackson said. “That’s why I ended up switching.”
After transferring to East Mississippi Community College as a top recruit, Jackson arrived on campus only to have things canceled due to COVID. He wound up at Alabama the following year playing under legendary head coach Nick Saban before transferring once more, to Oregon.
That’s where everything started to click for Jackson. He credited head coach Dan Lanning for helping him thrive at Oregon. He was able to play with a ton of freedom while starting 12 games and finished with 34 tackles, two sacks, three interceptions and seven pass break ups on his way to being named First Team All-Pac 12.
That performance earned Jackson an invite to the Senior Bowl, where he got to meet with the Vikings. He had a message for defensive coordinator Brian Flores, defensive backs coach Daronte Jones and anybody else who would listen.
“I told them I was the best cornerback in the draft and I thought they were probably going to be getting me for cheaper because of some of the politics that go into it,” Jackson said. “Just being honest. I felt confident in my ability. The numbers spoke for themselves.”
Now he’s on an NFL roster, and bringing that same level of confidence with him.
“I watch a lot of the names that called before me recently in this draft.” Jackson said. “Maybe it shouldn’t have went like that.”
As much as he’s looking forward to getting the last laugh after so many teams passed on him, Jackson was feeling gratitude more than anything else after getting the call from the Vikings.
“Honestly, I wasn’t even at home,” Jackson said with a laugh. “I was at the mall.”
Either way, it was fitting that Jackson was back in his hometown for the occasion. He returned there when he almost gave up football for good. It’s only right that he was also there when his childhood dream came true.
“I missed the first call, and then my phone rang again and I picked it up and it was the Vikings,” Jackson said. “I told the lady in the store, I was like, ‘Well, I’ve got go.’ ”
He had some celebrating to do.
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