New Duck defensive back Khyree Jackson has lockdown cornerback talent, but he's running out of time and chances.
At 6-3, 198 he has the grace and ball skills to smother a receiver on one side of the field, but injuries, a disciplinary misstep and a Covid shutdown have conspired to keep him off the field and thwarted his audition for the NFL.
He's a senior now with a redshirt year available, according to his bio on goducks.com. If he puts it all together in 2023, adds some great film and consistency to his promising measurables, he could follow 2022 Oregon transfer Christian Gonzalez into the early rounds of the draft.
As a junior at Dr. Henry Wise High School in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, Jackson played wide receiver. He showed elite skills, grabbing 39 passes for 612 yards and 12 touchdowns on a team that went 14-0 and won the 4A Maryland state title.
High school coach DaLawn Parrish told Stephen M. Smith of Touchdown Alabama Magazine, “He was an outstanding player.”
“He would go get the ball at its highest point. Khyree was explosive, and we were unstoppable with him at receiver. He shined bright on the biggest stage. The teams we played against could not put their second-best defender on him. He was too good for that. Khyree treated people like kids out there. Our defensive backs coach would get upset because he wanted Khyree on defense. He would tell me, ‘Let’s play him at DB.’ I said, ‘for what?’ He was so good offensively that it did not matter.”
Summer before his senior season in 2017, Jackson was dominating in the 7-on-7 passing league when he broke his collarbone, lost for the year. On the strength of his junior film the services rated him a three-star player.
“He was thin in high school. Jackson was about 175-180 pounds, and it was hard for him to lift weights in his rehab. When he decided to go JUCO, he switched from receiver to defensive back. Khyree thought playing DB would give him a better chance at the next level. I thought he was crazy because he was such an elite receiver, but look where he ended up."
“He knows where you are trying to go as a receiver,” Parrish said. “He reads routes, he knows the splits, and he has hand-eye coordination. He has always been physical, but people believe defensive backs don’t have good hands. Khyree has elite hands from playing receiver. When he grabs the football, he knows what to do.”
Jackson missed 2018 as he continued his rehab, wound up at the Kansas JUCO in 2019. He transferred to Last Chance U., East Mississippi Community College for the 2020 season but the school canceled football.
Another year of training with no games. The tape he put together at Fort Scott elevated him to the #2 junior college defensive back in the country despite playing just two seasons of football in four years, through no fault of his own. He chose Nick Saban and Alabama over Oregon, Georgia and a host of offers.
His first year at the Crimson Tide he got an emergency start in the national championship game when Josh Jobe and Jalyn Armour-Davis went down with injuries. Jackson drew a daunting assignment, fleet Georgia wideout Adonai Mitchell. He limited Mitchell to two catches but one of those went for a 40-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. Jackson had tight coverage on the play. Mitchell just made a great play to hang on to the ball.
At Bama Jackson languished in Nick Saban's doghouse. Saban works extensively with the defensive backs. He's a hands-on, ass-chewing drill instructor, a stern and demanding taskmaster who won't tolerate lateness or lapses in technique. The Maryland product was mired behind a stable of elite coverage guys, Kool-Aid McKinstry, Terrion Arnold and Eli Ricks last season. An ankle injury further slowed his progress.
At the end of November Jackson was suspended for two games, no public reason given. In two years at the SEC power he played in 11 games, putting up 14 tackles with two career starts. There was no doubt about coverage ability but he struggled a bit with Saban's rigid scheme: he wasn't allowed to use his instincts or deviate from his assigned responsibilities. Jackson's a bit like Cliff Harris in his knack for taking chances and making big plays, but any kind of free-lancing is forbidden at Alabama.
A cornerback has to have unrelenting tenacity and confidence, plus a short memory. Jackson entered the transfer portal near the end of his suspension, had to leave it because he wasn't a graduate transfer, then entered it again.
This time his final two choices were Oregon and Kentucky. He chose the Ducks, partly because of the relationship with secondary coach Demetrice Martin and head coach Lanning. Lanning recruited him previously as defensive coordinator at Georgia.
This spring he told reporters, "I feel like I fit well into the scheme. I feel like I have a little more freedom here within the scheme. I feel like Coach Lanning lets me make decisions whether or not if I'm in man if I feel comfortable pressing or playing off based on splits and alignments.
"I feel like when I was at Alabama we didn't really have as much leeway regarding things like that. That's probably what I would say I like the most."
In an atmosphere of more trust, with the freedom to be aggressive and use all of his skills, Jackson could thrive. Yet it's his last season of college football, the last opportunity to showcase his pro-level talent.
The highlights come from his 2019 season at Fort Scott Community College in Kansas. A few notes:
:08 At the goal line, Jackson jumps a route and snares the football for a big return. He has the confidence and the fluid hips to watch both the ball and the man, something many less-talented cornerbacks never master.
:16 Jackson looks into the backfield and sees that a screen pass is coming. He sprints to the line of scrimmage with little hesitation and absolutely levels the intended receiver, breaking up the play. The anticipation and intensity are tremendous, but the high-stepping celebration might draw a taunting foul in the no-fun-allowed PAC-12.
:24 Inside the Red Zone he makes a fluid turn and leverages the receiver against the sideline, watching the ball and the quarterback eyes, blanketing the receiver. Great anticipation again, as a former receiver he sees a fade/sideline throw is coming and he takes the ball away in the corner of the end zone.
How many times have you seen a DB running blindly with his back to the QB, the ball thrown over his head for an easy score?
:41 The opponent is in a 4-wide, Baylor-type formation with Khyree out wide to the left sideline. He seems to know the receiver will run his route to the sticks, so he presses tight and knocks the ball away.
:52 A Hail Mary into the end zone, badly overthrown. Once the ball is in the air he has the mindset of a receiver, as if the pass is intended for him. He high points it and makes a beautiful catch, tight-roping the end line for another turnover.
1:03 Setting up outside, eyes into the backfield. Jackson has responsibility for the outside receiver, but when the throw goes to the slot man and short, he breaks quickly on the ball to smother the play for a short gain. He's an aggressive tackler, agile enough to recover from a slip and still deliver a blow.
1:10 Another screen play. He shows total trust in his instincts, breaking off the deep receiver to blast the play for a loss. He's one step off the line to begin a back pedal, then sprints to the designed play and executes a tackle that makes the opponent look like a crash dummy
1:19 The spidery tenacity is uncanny. As a former receiver he reads where routes are supposed to go and has a "today is not your day" mentality.
1:26 Tight, press coverage, something not all cornerbacks have the confidence or the skills to execute. He crouches low and runs easily down the seam with the WR, knocking away the ball 20 yards downfield.
1:56 Shows terrific closing speed as he breaks off the deep third to drop the hammer on a receiver on the seam, having the discipline to avoid leading with his head, instead putting a powerful shoulder into the opponent.
2:08 As gunner on punt coverage, he arrives with the ball, perfect timing, and takes out the returner.
2:35 Press coverage again. Mirrors the route perfectly, no cushion. He can lock down one side of the field in a way few can, play on an island. This allows the defense to put more bodies elsewhere and get pressure on the passer.
2:47 Chunk run. Takes a good angle and uses the sideline, prepared for a cut back. Runs through a stiff arm to deliver a crunching tackle.
3:00 Form tackle in the open field, driving his shoulder into the ball carrier, driving him into the ground.
3:07 From the Nickle/Star position he meets a running play for a short gain. Not afraid to mix it up.
The last few plays of the tape show his ability to pursue and be physical.
