Dallas Turner and Khyree Jackson were teammates at Alabama in the 2021 and 2022 seasons. After Jackson transferred to Oregon for the 2023 campaign, they were set to be teammates again in 2024.
The Minnesota Vikings chose Turner in the first round and Jackson in the fourth round of the NFL Draft in April.
The Vikings’ rookies are reporting for their first NFL training camp on Sunday. But Jackson is not with him. The 24-year-old cornerback died in a traffic accident on July 6.
The rookies have lockers waiting for them at the NFL team’s TCO Performance Center in Eagan, Minnesota. One locker has two names above it – Turner’s. The former Crimson Tide linebacker’s locker not only has the nameplate “Turner 15” above it, it also has “Jackson 31.”
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According to the Maryland State Police report, Jackson was a passenger in a Dodge Charger that was involved in a three-vehicle wreck in his hometown of Upper Marlboro, Maryland. State Troopers responded to the accident at 3:14 a.m. EDT July 6.
The preliminary investigation indicated an Infiniti Q50 struck the Charger and a Chevrolet Impala while attempting a lane change at a high rate of speed. The Charger left the road and hit several tree stumps, the police report said.
While the occupants of the other two vehicles were uninjured, the three occupants of the Charger, including driver Isaiah Hazel, and passenger Anthony Lytton Jr., were killed. Lytton and Hazel were teammates of Jackson’s at Dr. Henry Wise Jr. High School in Upper Marlboro.
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A celebration of life for Jackson is scheduled for 11 a.m. EDT Friday at First Baptist Church of Glenarden in Upper Marlboro.
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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.