Vikings' Dallas Turner - Late Khyree Jackson 'watching over me' - ESPN

EAGAN, Minn. — Dallas Turner suddenly stopped Thursday as he walked onto the Minnesota Vikings' practice field. The rookie linebacker then turned and kneeled at one of the memorials the team has set up for Khyree Jackson, a fourth-round pick who was killed in a car accident earlier this month.

Turner, who played two seasons with Jackson at Alabama before the pair were reunited in the Vikings' 2024 draft class, spent more than a minute in solitude before rising and joining his teammates.

Speaking to reporters for the first time since Jackson's death, Turner said: «I talk to him all the time… and get the chills every single time I talk to him. So, I know he's watching over me.»

Before practice today, Vikings rookie LB Dallas Turner kneeled at one of the memorials the team has for Khyree Jackson. Stayed there for about a minute. He'll attend Jackson's funeral tomorrow, he said. pic.twitter.com/ZdB0eCSmt3

Turner had the most personal history with Jackson among Vikings players, coaches and staff. He has placed Jackson's nameplate above his own in the Vikings locker room — «As long as I'm alive,» he said, «I'll rep his name.» — and will attend Jackson's funeral on Friday along with a contingent of team executives and coaches.

Jackson transferred to Alabama in 2021, coinciding with Turner's freshman year there, and their lockers were a few feet apart. They played together in 2022 as well before Jackson transferred to Oregon for the 2023 season.

«So that was really a dude that I saw every single day,» Turner said, «and really [I've seen] him grow from Alabama to when he went to Oregon. He went through his trials and tribulations over there. We ended up at the same place once again. So, I kind of felt like that meant something,