BIOGRAPHY
Jerick McKinnon was born May 3, 1992, in Atlanta, Georgia. He is a running back in the NFL.
McKinnon attended Sprayberry High School in Marietta, Georgia, where he played football and ran track. McKinnon’s football coach Billy Shackelford showed confidence in him, playing him all over the field at quarterback, running back, wide receiver, and defensive back. He lettered four times on the gridiron for the Yellow Jackets, starting in each of his final three seasons. As a junior, he was a member of the team that won the region championship playing as a wide receiver en route to earning MVP accolades for the National Underclassmen Ultimate 100. He passed for 1,500 yards and rushed for 1,300 more as a senior, picking up Cobb County Touchdown Club Quarterback of the Year honors in 2009.
Shackelford urged schools to recruit McKinnon and proclaimed that he had zero red flags as a prospect, and would outwork any player on their current roster. McKinnon was originally recruited as a quarterback for Georgia Southern, handling special team chores before being used as a quarterback and slotback during the 2010 campaign. He played in GSU's triple-option attack from the quarterbacking position through his junior season but was utilized more often as a tailback during his senior season. McKinnon finished his career third all-time on the Georgia Southern list with 3,899 rushing yards and 42 touchdowns (4,138 all-purpose), behind only Adrian Peterson, who had 6,559 yards.
McKinnon and his new teammate Matt Breida were an integral part of the history of Georgia Southern football. The Eagles program was an FCS school for the majority of its existence. It wasn’t until the success of the team with McKinnon at virtually every position, which led to the program officially moved to FBS play following his senior season in 2013.
Despite an extremely successful career at Georgia Southern, McKinnon’s draft projection stated that he was a ‘jack of all trades, but a master of none.’ For McKinnon, the comments just served as additional motivation. He has the comment saved as a screen saver on his phone and looks at it every day for motivation. Three years into his NFL career, McKinnon played in his hometown of Atlanta for the first time. For his homecoming, McKinnon made sure that Coach Shackleford, the man who always believed in him, had prime seats for the game.
McKinnon was drafted in the 3rd round (96th overall) by the Minnesota Vikings in the 2014 NFL Draft. He ranked 3rd among NFC rookie runners in total rushing yards (538) on the season. In 2017 he saw action in 2 postseason contests and registered 18 rushing attempts for 74 yards and 1 touchdown. He caught 14 passes for 92 yards, finishing with 166 total scrimmage yards. His 14 receptions ranked 2nd among all RBs in the postseason.
McKinnon signed a one-year contract with the Kansas City Chiefs on April 30, 2021.
