Amid the many memories of late football player Khyree Jackson shared by family and members of the Oregon football program, one moment captured what could have been.
Jackson’s family, former teammates, and former coaches remembered him on Wednesday, July 10, in a vigil at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon. He died at age 24 in an auto accident on Saturday, July 6—just 15 days before he could begin training camp with the Minnesota Vikings on July 21. Ducks head coach Dan Lanning recounted the time Jackson got a pick six against now-Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix in a 2023 practice.
“Well, there’s this other guy who played quarterback for us last year named Bo Nix that’s pretty competitive,” Lanning continued. “We were having a pretty sparky practice one day, and they’re going back and forth, and I think Bo completed a couple of passes Khyree’s way, and it pissed Khyree off. Bo thought he would just keep going at him. I remember Bo turned around: ‘I’m going to get him again. Watch this.’ And he threw it again—interception. Touchdown, Khyree.”
“That was Khyree. He’d bring it every single day. There’s not a more passionate player that we had on our team than him, and he played the game the way it was supposed to be played,” Lanning added.
Oregon senior wide receiver Tez Johnson talked about Nix’s reaction to that moment.
“Bo watched the same play over and over,” Johnson said. “And if you know Bo, Bo’s going to watch that play over and over until he figures out a way to complete that ball again. But I remember one thing Bo said that night was: ‘That’s the best corner that I ever seen in college.’”
Minnesota recognized Jackson’s talent and selected him in the fourth round of the NFL Draft in April. Jackson impressed Vikings coaches during minicamp in May as he sought to crack the 53-man roster for the season.
He only played one year at Oregon after he transferred from Alabama where he saw limited playing time with the Crimson Tide. Jackson made an impact in his one season, which he had envisioned, as his father, Raymond, explained at the vigil.
“He told me, he said, ‘we knew what Oregon was all about; I want to help change the culture there,’” Raymond Jackson said. “‘I want to give the DBs some physicality. I want to make them physical. I want to make them dominant.’”
Oregon had five players with six or more pass deflections last year, and three players had two or more interceptions, with Jackson leading the way at three. His biggest came when his team needed it most in the Pac-12 Championship Game.
“It’s a critical play in the game, and Khyree gets a big interception—huge interception for our team,” Lanning said. “And this guy was so passionate, he immediately goes into full body cramps because he’s celebrating so hard after the interception. He has a hard time going back into the game.”
“And I’ll forever remember, when he made a play, it was special,” Lanning added. “But when he celebrated a play, it was that much more special because this guy celebrated every part of life, and I’m forever grateful for that.”
Besides Jackson’s impact as a football player, the people gathered reflected on his impact on a person. Jackson was born in 1999 to Ebbony and Raymond Jackson in Upper Marlboro, Md., where he grew up before his brief football career.
“I just want everyone to know Khyree was one of those guys you wanted to be around every day. No matter what it was, if you’re around Khyree, you’re going to have a good day,” Johnson said.
Fellow Oregon junior receiver Traehson Holden said Jackson “made you want to just play better,” and junior defensive back Dontae Manning said Jackson “just had that fire” and he impacted everyone. Jackson’s father thanked the Oregon football players and coaches for their prayers and support.
“I want to thank the community of Eugene and the surrounding areas for embracing our son, giving him a place where he could be himself and ball out,” Raymond Jackson. “You guys gave him a real chance here. You guys will always be family to us.”
