Detroit Lions cornerback Terrion Arnold is changing his jersey number to honor a deceased friend.
In an appearance on the “New Wave” podcast with Alabama football players Ryan Williams, Jalen Mbakwe, and Dre Kirkpatrick Jr., Arnold said he would be changing his number from zero to six in honor of former Crimson Tide cornerback Khyree Jackson, who was killed in a car accident in Maryland last year at age 24.
“It’s that extra motivation when you look down and you say, ‘Dang, man, I got on that six. My brother’s living through me at the same time.’”
Jackson was born in Washington, D.C. He played most of his high school football at Henry A Wise Jr. High School in the D.C. suburb of Upper Marlboro, Maryland. He received no offers out of high school, and was working and considering a career as a professional NBA 2K video game player before receiving an offer from Fort Scott Community College in Kansas. Originally recruited to play wide receiver, he persuaded his coaches to switch him to cornerback.
Jackson transferred to East Mississippi Community College, a junior college powerhouse and the site of the Netflix documentary “Last Chance U.” EMCC head coach Buddy Stephens got in touch with Nick Saban’s staff at Alabama, who recruited him there. He committed to the Crimson Tide in August 2020 and joined the team in December. He was used mostly as a special teamer but made his first start in the 2022 College Football Playoff National Championship game. He appeared in 12 games, making seven tackles and two pass defenses. He entered the 2022 season as a starter opposite Arnold, but eventually lost his starting job and played a reserve role again. He missed two games with a suspension for violating team rules, but played in nine games, recording seven tackles.
Jackson transferred to Oregon following the 2022 season. He started 12 games for the Ducks in 2023, recording 34 tackles, and led the team in passes defended with seven and interceptions with three. He was picked by the Minnesota Vikings in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
On July 6, 2024, Jackson and two of his high school teammates were driving north on Route 4/Pennsylvania Avenue in Upper Marlboro when another car slammed into their Dodge Charger. Police said the other driver was attempting to change lanes at high speed when she hit the Charger and another vehicle. The Charger went off the road and slammed into multiple tree stumps before stopping.
Jackson and the Charger driver, Isaiah Hazel, were pronounced dead at the scene. The third teammate, Anthony Lytton Jr., was taken to a hospital but was pronounced dead shortly afterward. The other driver was charged with vehicular manslaughter and driving under the influence, and will be tried in June.
In the podcast, Arnold said he wants to be a role model for Jackson’s younger brother as well.
“He can go look on the screen, and look in the camera and say ‘Dang, man, he’s wearing No. 6 because of my big brother.’ That’s amazing,” Arnold said. “Just being able to talk to his family, talk to his dad or his mom and just letting them know, at the end of the day, Terrion ain’t forgot about Khyree.”
