Dan Lanning honors late Oregon CB Khyree Jackson at Big Ten Media Days

This offseason, former Oregon Ducks standout Khyree Jackson died in a tragic car accident. For head coach Dan Lanning, addressing his death was one of the first things he made sure to do at Big Ten Media Days.

Jackson died on July 6th in a car crash in Maryland. The accident occurred when a driver in another car attempted to change lanes at a high speed, leading to the crash. Police have stated that they believe alcohol was involved in the crash.

“This summer we experienced great sorrow,” Dan Lanning said. “Losing a player that meant so much to us, finished his career here at Oregon. Losing Khyree in a car accident this summer hurt. That was one of those things you wake up as a coach and you hope to never see, and I’m feeling for him and his family.”

Khyree Jackson was an All-Pac-12 selection for the 2023 season. He went on to be selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft.

“I want to give a special thank you to the Minnesota Vikings and the way that they’ve taken care of Khyree and his family,” Lanning said. “Somebody that we certainly want to support. He’s a guy that I always tell myself we have to be grateful for the time that we got to spend with Khyree because that’s something that was really tough on our team and tough to see a guy that had such a bright future have his life cut short.”

Following his death, the Minnesota Vikings made the decision to pay Khyree Jackson to both pay his signing bonus and honor him on the field. That money will go to his estate. The team is also set to wear a decal on their helmet while not issuing his number 31 for the remainder of the season.

Khyree Jackson spent one season at Oregon. Before that, he had been on the Alabama Crimson Tide team.

Following his death, Oregon held a vigil at Autzen Stadium in honor of Jackson. There, Dan Lanning eulogized him in an emotional moment for the program.

“The people that make your job so special are people you get to work with and Khyree was one of those people that I enjoyed every single day getting to go to work and seeing that big smile,” Lanning said in part. “You’d have a hard time finding a picture floating around that has Khyree in it and it doesn’t have a big smile on it and that’s something I’ve always remembered for Khyree.”

For the players and coaches at Oregon that fondly remember Khyree Jackson, moving on is going to be difficult and he’ll stick with them as they enter the 2024 season.