Texas A&M DL McKinnley Jackson has been named to the Lombardi Award preseason watch list
Texas A&M’s defensive leader for the pivotal 2023 season, senior defensive tackle McKinnley Jackson (shared with safety Demani Richardson), has already received plenty of preseason recognition. As of Tuesday, he has now been named to the Lombardi Award Preseason Watch List by the Rotary Club of Houston.
Here is the official description of the award provided by the Rotary Club of Houston:
The Lombardi Award goes annually to the college football offensive or defensive lineman who exemplifies the character and discipline of NFL Hall of Fame Head Coach Vince Lombardi in addition to outstanding performance and ability.
Last season, Jackson was one of the few consistent players during an otherwise disappointing campaign, recording 37 total tackles, including seven for loss, to go along with two sacks and one fumble recovery. In 389 defensive snaps in 2022, he registered 219 as a run defender and 169 in pass rush snaps.
.@macfrmGSF_ has been named to the @lombardi_award Watch List, given annually to the country's most outstanding lineman 👍https://t.co/kzRMhh70ef | #GigEm pic.twitter.com/jkdZnmDrP8
— Texas A&M Football (@AggieFootball) August 15, 2023
Jackson’s experience across the defensive line will continue to aid the development of sophomore defensive tackle Walter Nolen. At the same time, the junior tandem of Shemar Turner and Fadil Diggs should finally improve the Aggie’s pass rush, which is littered with blue-chip talent, especially key rotational defensive linemen Shemar Stewart and LT Overton.
According to Pro Football Focus, Jackson logged an impressive 70.1 overall defensive grade, which included a 71.8 run defense grade and a 68.9 pass rush grade.
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