Jerick McKinnon

Jerick Deshun McKinnon (born May 3, 1992), nicknamed "Jet", is an American football running back for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL).

McKinnon, a four-year letter winner, 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 (NCAA Division I all-time leading rusher from 1998 to 2001) and Jermaine Austin, who posted 5,411 from 2002 to 2005.

He also caught 10 passes for 165 yards and a score, completed 32-of-81 passes (39.50%) for 929 yards, 12 touchdowns, and five interceptions, gained 74 yards on four kickoff returns and also recorded five tackles (four solos) with a pair of pass deflections, two interceptions, and two quarterback pressures.

In his first season in Statesboro, McKinnon chose to wear number 15.

He played in 10 games for the Eagles, rushing for 430 yards on 109 attempts and 3 touchdowns.

He picked up his first career score against Savannah State, taking over the quarterback duties in the fourth quarter.

He briefly owned the record for most rushing attempts in a single game after rushing for a top single-game mark of 182 yards on 35 attempts at The Citadel, 84 of those yards came in the second quarter as he helped lead the Eagles to their first shutout of an opponent since 2003.

In the Georgia State game, McKinnon assumed signal calling after Jaybo Shaw was injured early in the game.

He made his first career start against Samford the following week, and had a one-yard touchdown run for his first score against the Bulldogs.

He directed the Eagles to their third-highest rushing total of the year with 323 yards against South Carolina State.

McKinnon played in 13 games with seven starts as a sophomore.

He was the only player on the Eagles roster to throw, run and catch a touchdown pass during the season.

He finished the season with 705 all-purpose yards and nine combined touchdowns (seven rushing, one receiving, and one passing).

In the season opener at Samford on September 3, he rushed 12 times for 80 yards and scored two touchdowns.

He rushed for a touchdown and caught a touchdown pass in the home opener against Tusculum on September 10.

Against Western Carolina in week 4, he totaled a season-high 114 rushing yards and two scores on 10 carries and completed two passes for 39 yards and a touchdown.

He compiled 98 rushing yards on just nine carries against Presbyterian.

He played three playoff games on defense and totaled four tackles and two pass breakups, while also intercepting two passes in the Maine Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) Playoff game.

In that game, he also returned one kickoff for 41 yards.

McKinnon's team-best 129.8 rushing yards per game average ranked seventh nationally and was 8th on Georgia Southern's single-season list, most by a quarterback since Jayson Foster in 2007 (167.6), while his 20 rushing touchdowns in the season ranked seventh on the single-season list.

He led the Eagles in rushing six times, with significant influence on Georgia Southern's ninth NCAA rushing title (399.4 ypg), best across all divisions.

He was also a factor in Eagles claiming four of the top seven NCAA Division I single-game rushing totals.

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.

Away from the gridiron, McKinnon lettered twice for the Yellow Jackets track & field team, competing in the 100-meter dash (captured the Region VII-AAAA title with a time of 11.04 seconds as a junior), 200-meter dash (placed seventh at the Region VII-AAAA with a time 22.61 seconds) and in the long jump (personal-best leap of 21'8" or 6.63 meters) for the outdoor squad. He was also a member of the 4 × 100 m relay team (42.33 as a senior) and was timed at 4.46 in the 40-yard dash according to Rivals.com.

Regarded as a three-star recruit by Rivals.com, McKinnon committed to Georgia Southern on February 3, 2010.

He chose the Eagles over scholarship offers from the Air Force and the Navy.

McKinnon attended Georgia Southern University (GSU) from 2010 to 2013.

McKinnon was originally recruited as a quarterback, 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.

In 2012, McKinnon joined Georgia Southern's upper echelon of running backs with 1,817 rushing yards on 269 attempts, third-highest single-season total after Peterson's record 1,932 yards in 1998 and Jayson Foster in second with 1,844 in 2007.

For his season efforts, he earned first-team All-American honors at quarterback from the College Sports Journal and College Sporting News and was awarded the Iron Works Dedication Trophy (awarded to the team's most outstanding lifter).

Of Georgia Southern's 63 offensive plays of 25 yards or longer in 2012, McKinnon had a hand in 30 (17 rushing plays, seven rushing touchdowns).

He played college football at Georgia Southern and was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the third round of the 2014 NFL draft.

He has also played for the San Francisco 49ers.

McKinnon attended Sprayberry High School in Marietta, Georgia, where he played football and ran track.

In football, he played quarterback, running back and wide receiver.

He was an Atlanta Journal-Constitution first-team all-state pick at quarterback.

He was also tabbed first-team all-state by the Georgia Sports Writers Association as an athlete and named Region VII AAAA Player of the Year.

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.