Matthew Coller: Khyree Jackson's dreams were taken away in tragic crash

As reporters, we keep track of senseless things. Having participated in dozens of draft-day conference calls with players that the Minnesota Vikings selected, everyone on the beat could easily give you a list of the most engaging and interesting interviews that we had with guys immediately after they were picked. Everyone would agree that the best ever was Khyree Jackson.

He was beaming. The fourth-round pick out of Oregon in this year’s draft joyfully talked about the long and difficult road that led him to the best moment of his football life. After high school he quit football and struggled to find his place in the world. He was embarrassed to tell his friends that he was back home in Maryland working at a grocery store and trying to become a professional gamer. Jackson candidly explained that he came to a realization that he needed to give football a second chance. He couldn’t go on wondering what could have been.

In the movie version there would have been a montage of Jackson getting back into football shape and then we would be fast forwarded to him thriving at Oregon. It didn’t work like that in real life. He went to Fort Scott Community College and then had a season washed out due to COVID in 2020. He switched to cornerback and put in the work to learn and dominate that position to the point where he caught Nick Saban’s attention and joined Alabama. When he didn’t get ample playing time in a crowded Crimson Tide DB room he transferred to Oregon where he clicked with head coach Dan Lanning. He started 12 games for the Ducks and made First Team All-Pac-12.

Draft day was the result of a thousand days spent fighting to reach his goals.

“I wouldn’t change it for the world,” he said on draft day.

Jackson was less than two weeks from reporting for training camp when he was killed in a car crash early Saturday morning. He was riding with two friends, high school teammates of his, when a speeding driver attempted to pass their car and struck the vehicle sending them off the road. The police report describes the car that hit Jackson and his friends and going at a “high rate of speed” and adds that “investigators believe alcohol may have been a contributing circumstance in the crash.” The driver who caused the crash was uninjured.

In the immediate wake of Jackson’s death, the team released statements from head coach Kevin O’Connell and general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. They captured the same infectious energy that was evident in his draft-day conference call.

“I am absolutely crushed by this news. Khyree brought a contagious energy to our facility and our team. His confidence and engaging personality immediately drew his teammates to him. In our short time together, it was evident Khyree was going to develop into a tremendous professional football player, but what was more impressive was his desire to become the best person he could be for his family and those around him. I am at a loss for words. My heart goes out to Khyree’s family, friends, teammates and coaches.” – Head Coach Kevin O’Connell

“I am heartbroken by the loss of Khyree. As we got to know him throughout the pre-draft process, it was clear the goals Khyree wanted to accomplish both professionally and personally. His story was one of resilience. He was taking steps to become the best version of himself not just for him, but for those who cared about and looked up to him. Khyree’s personality captured every room he was in. I’m devastated that his life and everything he had in front of him has been cut short. My thoughts are with Khyree’s family and friends, those who played with and coached him in college, and his teammates and coaches here at the Vikings.” – General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah

In a circumstance where words do not do justice to the tragedy or the pain that everyone in the Vikings’ building must be feeling, O’Connell and Adofo-Mensah found a way to capture who Jackson was and where he was heading. He was resilient, energetic and teammates were drawn to him. You could say that it feels inappropriate to talk about what type of football player he was going to become in the moments moments after his life was taken but his drive to reach the NFL and become a great Viking is part of what makes this soul crushing.

He was a promising player. It felt like he was made to play for Brian Flores. He played aggressively, joyfully. Receivers couldn’t escape his 6-foot-4 wingspan and fluid footwork. Quarterbacks feared his blitzes. Running backs couldn’t shed his tackles. Jackson’s performance on the field was reflective of who he was. His play was made up of all the fibers of his journey to get there.

It was taken away in a second. It doesn’t seem real. It doesn’t seem possible. I should be writing about how he’s one of the most interesting players in camp right now, not this.

When Kobe Bryant died, Wolves broadcaster Jim Petersen told me that the only thing we can do when we lose someone special is try to take something away from them. Remember how this feels the next time you consider getting behind the wheel after consuming alcohol or the next time to whip your car around someone on the highway. You are risking destroying someone’s dreams and devastating everyone around them.

Also, whatever your dreams are, chase them and give them everything you have. That’s what he did and he achieved those dreams when the Vikings drafted him. I’ll never stop thinking about what he would have become, not just on the football field but as a person, as an inspiration to everyone who hits a tough patch and finds their way through it.

My heart is with everyone who knew Khyree Jackson well. I was looking forward to the opportunity to talk with him more. I’m deeply saddened by the fact that I won’t be able to do that.