By BJ Bennett
SouthernPigskin.com

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With a vast array of talents and a history of doing whatever it takes, Jerick McKinnon will undoubtedly make an impact in the NFL.

For all that Jerick McKinnon accomplished at Georgia Southern, how he did it will be his long-lasting legacy. A quarterback, a-back, b-back, cornerback and return specialist for the Eagles, McKinnon spent his career switching positions, all while maintaining a critical role for his football team. Regardless of his place on the depth chart, his commitment to those around never changed. With all due respect to his speed, strength and toughness, leadership has always been McKinnon’s most impressive trait.

Despite his recent fame, McKinnon has been a standout performer for years. After an all-state prep career in metro Atlanta, he came down to Statesboro and promptly scored a touchdown in his first college game. McKinnon, six weeks later, set a school record with 35 rushing attempts in a win over The Citadel. His true freshman season ended with 101 yards rushing in the FCS semifinals.

One the nation’s premier athletes, McKinnon’s versatility was on full display his sophomore year. He, while rotating all over the field, passed for, ran for and caught a touchdown during the season. Playing defensive back, McKinnon intercepted two passes versus Maine in the FCS quarterfinals and added a kickoff return that afternoon for good measure. The Sprayberry-native was showing up on stat sheets like decimals and curved numbers. Georgia Southern, again, advanced the final four.

The production that followed was off the charts. McKinnon earned first-team All-American honors as a junior, rushing for 1,817 yards and 20 scores. Most impressive was his historic tear through the postseason. Against Central Arkansas, McKinnon ran for 316 yards and added three total touchdowns. He tacked on 171 yards rushing and four scores at Old Dominion the following week. Facing mighty North Dakota State once more in the FCS semifinals, McKinnon ran for 168 yards, threw for and ran for a touchdown in a losing effort.

Unfortunately, McKinnon’s senior year was caught in the crosshairs of rulings that made the Eagles ineligible for the Southern Conference championship and the postseason due to the program’s decision to transition to the FBS. After three consecutive seasons of being one win away from playing for a national title, McKinnon and his classmates were beaten by time and circumstance. As he had done time and time before, however, McKinnon was there to take adversity’s best shot — and fight right back.

Mere weeks before kickoff, Georgia Southern’s star senior wrote an open letter to Eagle Nation that was featured on the school’s official athletics website. He thanked fans for their support and, despite what it meant for him individually, talked excitedly of the long-term direction in which the program was headed. McKinnon opened the entry by using words like “effort”, “tradition”, “history” and “legacy”. His signed off with a performance for the ages.

McKinnon’s final college game came on the road at traditional SEC power Florida. A talent overlooked by many schools like UF out of high school, McKinnon, playing a-back instead of quarterback, torched the Gators for 125 and a score on just nine carries. His last touchdown at Georgia Southern proved to be the game-winner in the program’s first-ever victory over an FBS foe. It was a landmark triumph for the Eagles, but was, in many ways, McKinnon’s defining moment.0

“That’s just Georgia Southern Football,” he smiled.

The Florida game was a national springboard forward for a previously-overlooked prospect ready for the next stage of his career. With many around the country talking about him, McKinnon moved on to Mobile for the Senior Bowl. He impressed coaches with his power and tenacity as a runner, gaining more positive press and traction for his professional position change. Many tabbed his practice collision with Florida State’s Terrence Brooks as one of the highlights of the week.000

Momentum continued through to NFL Combine, where McKinnon walked in, undersized, at 5’9” and left with measurements off the charts. Compared against the likes of Auburn’s Tre Mason, Ohio State’s Carlos Hyde and Jeremy Hill from LSU, McKinnon was the most impressive running back, as a former quarterback, in attendance. He finished second among all competitors with an official forty yard dash time of 4.41 and led his group, by a wide margin, with 32 bench press reps of 225 pounds. Per a statistical analysis by the Wall Street Journal, McKinnon was the combine’s top overall performer.

xe2x80x9cIt was a great experience, just being in Indianapolis around all those great athletes like Johnny Manziel and Jadaveon Clowney,” McKinnon explained on the Southern Pigskin Radio Network. “My main focus was to go to Indianapolis with tunnel vision on what I had set out ahead of me and turn heads, because I knew a lot of people had me on the backend or didnxe2x80x99t think I would do things as well as I did them. My main focus was to shock everybody and bring my ‘A’ game.xe2x80x9d

Largely classified as a future undrafted free agent six months ago, McKinnon is now widely projected as a 4th-5th round pick.

The track McKinnon is on is one quite similar to that of his former teammate J.J. Wilcox. A do-it-all star for the Eagles, Wilcox dramatically improved his draft stock with standout post-season performances. He was ultimately selected 80th overall in the 2013 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys. Wilcox recorded 33 tackles and two interceptions a year ago and is currently listed as the team’s starter at strong safety. McKinnon is following his lead.0

xe2x80x9cI talked to J.J. right before I went to the Senior Bowl and before I got to the combine. The only advice he really gave me was just to go out there and do me, stay focused and put my all into the training, things like that,” McKinnon recalled. “He went back and talked about his experiences and things that he went through and told me what to expect from the scouts, how everything would be. He definitely gave me a lot to look forward and I leaned on him throughout the whole process.xe2x80x9d

The waiting game, for McKinnon, is the tough part. As he continues to train, the former option signal caller is counting down the days until he signs with an NFL team. McKinnon is anxious to prove his worth, just as he has done his entire career. The conversation, from the outside-in, is about McKinnon’s role. Some believe he can be a feature back in the right system; others feel his future will be on third downs. McKinnon just wants it to be on the field.

“It won’t matter,” he nodded. “Just being in the NFL and having the opportunity to better yourself…at the end of the day, itxe2x80x99s just a blessing to have the opportunity.xe2x80x9d

Coaches and teammates will confirm, McKinnon’s mantra is as honest as a Sunday morning and is sure to carry over to Sunday afternoon. That value transcends numerical measure. McKinnon’s selflessness, all while maintaining the unrelenting drive to perform and to win, was noted by executives in both Indianapolis and Mobile. The NFL team that selects the former Georgia Southern quarterback will be adding the big-picture foresight that typically comes with the best at the position.0000

xe2x80x9cI would say it speaks a lot about who I am, what kind of guy I am and also what kind of player I am, what I can bring to the table,” McKinnon continued. “At the next level you have a lot of guys who want to be xe2x80x98that guy’. Something that coach Monken always said was that everyone on the team has their own specific role. When you have a guy that can come in, fulfill his role, fulfill his duty and also push others to do their best, I think it speaks a lot about what a player can bring to the table.”

As he moves forward, McKinnon does so with a strong connection to his past. From the highways of north Atlanta to the backroads of southeast Georgia, each of McKinnon’s experiences have carved out a unique perspective on both life and the game he loves. Much like Wilcox before him, McKinnon leaves Statesboro on a trail that others will soon follow. While his next step might be his biggest, it might not be his most important.00000

McKinnon and his college roomate Lavelle Westbrooks are preparing for what will be with a firm appreciation of what has been.

xe2x80x9cIt has meant a lot, those guys that I have played with over the years. We just try to bring in the younger guys and keep the same family type atmosphere, a big-brother little-brother type of situation,” McKinnon stated of his time with the Eagles. “The coaching staff that left, those guys helped me tremendously throughout my four years. I give credit not just to the coaches, but to my brothers and everybody for getting me to where I am right now.xe2x80x9d

Where McKinnon will be later this spring is yet to be determined. Wherever he ends up, the people and places that made him who he is will most certainly be along for the ride.

“Ixe2x80x99ll drive it if they let me get the keys for once,” he laughed, referencing taking Georgia Southern’s famed yellow school bus to his new home.

With a vast array of talents and a history of doing whatever it takes, McKinnon will undoubtedly make an impact in the NFL. His position on the field won’t necessarily matter. His position on the team always will.