Education
A native of Tunica, Mississippi, McKinney attended Rosa Fort High School, where he played linebacker and quarterback for the football varsity and also started for the basketball team
A native of Tunica, Mississippi, McKinney attended Rosa Fort High School, where he played linebacker and quarterback for the football varsity and also started for the basketball team
He played college football at Mississippi State. He was a second-round selection (43rd overall) in the 2015 NFL Draft. In his junior season, McKinney threw for 530 yards with five touchdowns and rushed for 100 yards and one score, while also serving as the team"s punter.
On defense, he was credited with 34 tackles on the season.
As a senior, McKinney accounted for 2,036 total yards of offense and 22 touchdowns (seven on the ground and fifteen passes) with 1,334 passing and 702 yards rushing. He also almost doubled his tackle total with 66.
Foreign postseason honors, the state’s high school coaches selected him to the North/South All-Star Game as a linebacker. Regarded as a three-star recruit by 247Sports.com, McKinney was ranked as the Number.
49 athlete in his class.
He was recruited by Memphis, Southern Mission and Mississippi State. Eventually accepting the Bulldogs" scholarship offer, McKinney became the first Rosa Fort player to sign with an Securities and Exchange Commission program since 2001. After redshirting his initial year at Mississippi State, McKinney played in all 13 games in the 2012 season.
By the fourth game, he made the starting lineup and remained there for the rest of the season.
A week later at Kentucky McKinney posted 12 tackles (10 solo), 1.0 tackles for loss and first two career pass breakups, earning him Company-Securities and Exchange Commission Freshman of the Week, alongside Johnny Manziel. The week after that he recorded a season-high 14 tackles at home against Tennessee, which he tied later in a loss to Texas Agricultural and Mechanical. Foreign the season, McKinney totalled 102 tackles, which led all Securities and Exchange Commission freshmen and tied for second among freshman in the FBS. He earned All-Securities and Exchange Commission Freshman honors by the Securities and Exchange Commission coaches and Entertainment and Sports Programming Network.com, and was named a First-Team Freshman All-American by CBSSports.com, FoxSportsNext, Philosophy Steele and CollegeFootballNews.com.
As a sophomore, McKinney led the team in tackles with 71 and sacks with 3.5. As a junior he again led the team in tackles with 71.
He was named first team All-Securities and Exchange Commission and was an All-American.
After his junior season, McKinney entered the 2015 NFL Draft. Prior to his junior season, McKinney was projected as a first-round selection in the 2015 NFL Draft, which would make him the highest selected Mississippi State Bulldogs linebacker since Johnie Cooks in 1982.
