McKinnley Jackson reveals how Texas A&M stayed together through tough 2022 season

Expectations were high at Texas A&M last season on the heels of a top-ranked recruiting class. The Aggies entered the season ranked No. 6 in the country, but wound up missing a bowl game for the first time since 2008 as they finished with a 5-7 record.

It wasn’t how Jimbo Fisher’s group expected the year to go. But, according to defensive lineman McKinnley Jackson, the players stuck together through the adversity.

Jackson noted the rollercoaster nature of the 2022 campaign and identified some reasons for it. As a result, he put an emphasis on becoming a better leader — and he’s going to push his teammates to get better.

“There were ups and downs,” Jackson said at SEC Media Days. “Of course, there’s going to be. How we come together and commemorate to one another, like I say, hold each other accountable. So dealing with those losses, you know, at times we didn’t handle our business the way we should have. We didn’t conduct ourselves the right way. It falls back on a lot of things, like leadership. Like I said, I feel like this year, it’s one of the things we’ve worked on especially this offseason, especially myself.

“Like I said, being selfless and pushing others to be more than what they expect themselves to be because, you know, there’s no limit to what you can be. And if you don’t see it, someone else sees it. If I see it, I’m going to push it out of you each and every day, no matter if you like me or not. We can argue back and forth. We can fight, but I’m going to get the best out of you just like I’m going to get the best out of me. Because I want you to be the best at your game. I want you to have everything you want out of life, and I’m going to do whatever it takes for my part and for me putting it on you.”

Jackson is coming off a solid 2022 season at Texas A&M as he totaled a career-high 37 tackles to go with 7.0 tackles for loss and 2.0 sacks. He also won the Aggies’ Defensive Leadership Award as well as the team Defense MVP after the season.

Jackson will try to build on it in a big year for Texas A&M, which is set to open the 2023 season Sept. 2 against New Mexico.