Khyree Jackson, Former Oregon Cornerback And Vikings Rookie, Killed In Car Accident

Khyree Jackson, a former Oregon cornerback who was drafted in April by the Minnesota Vikings, died in a car accident in Maryland on Friday. He was 24.

Jackson was killed along with former Dr. Henry Wise Jr. High School (Upper Marlboro, Md.) teammates Anthony Lytton Jr. and Isaiah Hazel, according to The Oregonian. Lytton played at Florida State and Penn State, and Hazel played at Maryland and Charlotte.

The Vikings confirmed the news Saturday morning.

A native of Upper Marlboro, Jackson attended Fort Scott Community College for one year out of high school before enrolling at Alabama prior to the 2021 season. He played for the Crimson Tide for two seasons and made his lone start for Alabama in the 2021 National Championship game against Georgia. He then transferred to Oregon, where he became a First-Team All-Pac-12 honoree in 2023.

Last season, he made 34 tackles (five for loss) and recorded two sacks, seven pass breakups and three interceptions as the top CB for the Ducks.

Khyree Jackson was killed in a car accident on Friday in Upper Marlboro, Md.

(Mark J. Rebilas / USA TODAY Sports)

The Vikings selected Jackson in the fourth round (108th overall) of the 2024 NFL Draft. Shortly afterward, he shared his inspiring comeback story. After his first year of community college, he said, he moved back home to work in the deli at the Harris Teeter grocery store — thinking football may never work out.

"At one point, I really wasn't thinking about football much," he said. "I had just won ‘Employee of the Month’ at the grocery store, so I really wasn't thinking much about it, honestly… I told my mom at one point in time, ‘I guess I’m about to be, you know, working at the grocery store.'"

James Crepea, the Ducks beat writer for The Oregonian, shared some further insight into Jackson's story.

"Khyree Jackson turned his life around," Crepea wrote on X. "He had a minor arrest in junior college that was later dropped, worked at a grocery store while gaming, got back into football and made the most of his last opportunity in college to be the top CB in the Pac-12 and made the NFL. Awful news."

After the news broke, Oregon coach Dan Lanning shared his condolences on Twitter / X: "RIP Khyree… Love you @Real_Khyree at a loss for words. I will miss your smile. Great player better person."

This is a developing story.