‘We’re awfully proud of him.’ George County’s McKinnley Jackson makes his college decision

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Minutes before George County football star McKinnley Jackson made his college choice Wednesday morning, family surrounding him looked at him and said, “You know we love you.”

Jackson, rated a four-star defensive lineman, announced he would be attending Texas A&M and signed his scholarship offer.

Jackson was choosing between the Aggies, LSU, Alabama and Auburn.

“You can tell how much he means to our community and our school just by looking at our turnout today,” George County Coach Matt Caldwell said. “We’re awfully proud of him.”

Jackson thanked God and the community and his friends and family for being there with him.

After he made his announcement, his family on the stage with him began chanting, “Go Aggies!”

Jackson has been a hot prospect for major college football programs since his freshman season at the Lucedale, Mississippi, high school.

Jackson originally committed to LSU in late 2017, but decided to re-open his recruitment two months later.

Texas A&M and Alabama were considered the favorites to land Jackson, but he remained quiet about his status headed into National Signing Day. Alabama head coach Nick Saban visited Jackson in Lucedale last week and he made an official visit to Texas A&M over the weekend.

This story was originally published February 5, 2020 at 8:30 AM with the headline "‘We’re awfully proud of him.’ George County’s McKinnley Jackson makes his college decision."