21 Players in 21 Days: #15 McKinnley Jackson

McKinnley Jackson

Position: Defensive Line
Classification: Sophomore
Hometown: Lucedale, Miss.
Listed Height: 6-2
Listed Weight: 325

Key notes from Billy’s analysis of Jackson

• A ton of promise. There were times where he was more impactful than Bobby Brown, and Brown had a great junior season and was a mid-round draft pick. There were times when McKinnley was in there where he was more explosive off the snap and more disruptive. They made for a great 1-2 punch, but McKinnley was a true freshman last year, kicking ass in the SEC.
   
• He's a guy from day one that was a five-star caliber signee. He just missed that cut line. As an interior defensive lineman, he should've been a five-star.
   
• Think about Daylon Mack. I think Jackson is a more effective, disruptive interior defensive lineman. He's going to make teams block him with two. He's going to be in your backfield, disrupting your running game.
   
• Because you lost Bobby to the draft, he needs to step in. He could be an upgrade at that spot. The true upgrade would've been having Bobby back as a senior, but McKinnley could be better in 2021 than Bobby was in 2020. That's saying something.
   
• Do you know how hard it is to out-recruit Alabama for an interior defensive lineman from Mississippi? These guys end up being pretty good, and there was a reason why Nick Saban and the Tide wanted him. Jimbo Fisher and Mike Elko feel the same way.
   
• From the minute I heard about his off-field issue, I knew he was never going to be dismissed from the team. He will be disciplined, and it will be more than just running sprints. I think he will miss a game or two, but I don't think it will be more than that. I think you're looking at a minor suspension of some kind. I also think that it's behind him. He has been a part of the team. His arrest was in April, and it has been resolved outside of the media. He has been in the good graces of the team for a while now. You saw him running yesterday, and that's probably to first step towards him being back at practice.
   
• The university ultimately decides these things. Remember when Johnny Manziel was arrested prior to his freshman season. He was looking into transferring. Sometimes the university will suspend a student from extracurricular activities for a year. There are two separate punishments here, but I think all will work out. He'll serve whatever type of punishment that is levied, and then you'll see him playing for Texas A&M this fall.
   
• A&M and Elko figure out ways to get pressure, but there is no better way than having guys up front that you can't block. The scheme is one thing, but when you can rush three or four and they can't be blocked... DeMarvin Leal beats blocks. I watched DeMarvin blow past Layden Robinson, who had a great day. Leal can do that to anybody. McKinnley Jackson can do that to most anyone.
   
• Micheal Clemons is a sixth-year player. You have Tyree Johnson. Jayden Peevy is a grown man. There is so much depth. McKinnley is way up on that list. Shemar Turner, Tunmise Adeleye are freshmen and huge. There are so many dudes, options and bodies to roll out there. To me, Leal and Jackson still stand out. They're so difficult to block, and that changes everything for the entire group and the secondary. It all starts with the defensive line.

Follow the entire 21 players in 21 days series here.