Vikings’ Dallas Turner honors Khyree Jackson: As long as I live, I will represent his name | News, scores, highlights, stats and rumors

“I talk to him all the time … and I get goosebumps every time I talk to him,” Turner said. “So I know he’s watching over me.”

Seifert noted that the linebacker had placed Jackson’s nameplate above his own in the team’s locker room and said, “As long as I live, I will represent his name.”

Jackson and Turner were college teammates for two seasons at Alabama before the former transferred to Oregon ahead of the 2023 season. They were also close with the Crimson Tide and had grown close long before their drafts.

“So that was really a guy that I saw every day,” Turner said. “And I really watched him grow from Alabama to when he came to Oregon. He went through his ups and downs there. We ended up in the same place again. I felt like that meant something, and that was my guy every day after practice (this spring). He was with me at the hotel, we hung out at the hotel every day just talking trash and stuff like that, just having fun.

“This was a guy that really helped me grow as a person. He helped me realize who I was and he kind of helped me build my confidence off the field and on the field. But he was definitely a very influential person.”

Minnesota selected Turner with a first-round pick in the 2024 draft. They then selected Jackson with a fourth-round pick.

On Thursday, Turner spoke to reporters for the first time since Jackson’s death.