Jackson will be back in 2023
Texas A&M won their first recruiting battle of the offseason Monday morning, when junior defensive tackle McKinnley Jackson said announced he's returning for his senior season and will wait on the NFL Draft.
Offseason surgery and other injuries limited Jackson to seven games and a handful of snaps in an eighth, but when healthy he was one of the best defensive tackles in the nation. Jackson racked up 37 tackles (23 solo), 7 tackles for loss and 2 sacks.
He led all defensive linemen in tackles, was second on the team in tackles for loss and third on the team in sacks in spite of missing one-third of the season.
Jackson dominated in the second half of SEC play for the Aggies, picking up a career-high 12 tackles against Ole Miss, 2.5 tackles for loss against Florida and 6 tackles, 2 tackles for loss and a fumble recovery at Auburn.
The 6-foot-2, 325-pound Jackson, who was a team captain later in the year, will likely continue to team up with freshman Walter Nolen (29 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 1 sack) in the middle for the Aggies next year. The pair could give A&M one of the best interior line duos in the conference, if not the nation.