The 2016 season has been a roller-coaster ride, but Jerick McKinnon hasn't shied away from adversity or adjustments. The third-year running back became Minnesota's primary running back after Adrian Peterson suffered a torn meniscus in Week 2. McKinnon has been utilized in some game-plan wrinkles added by Interim Offensive Coordinator Pat Shurmur, including running plays out of the Wildcat.
"It allows me to make a decision … on handing it off or keeping it," McKinnon said of the Wildcat. "It's a different look – I like it a lot."
McKinnon played four different positions during his collegiate career. Primarily playing quarterback and running back at Georgia Southern, he also saw time at defensive back and wide receiver. He said his experience playing multiple positions helped him to be adaptable.
"I just think it got me prepared for the unknown," McKinnon said. "It really helped me get my name out there at each level, and being able to do so much only helped me. It didn't hurt me like I thought it might at first. It helped me being able to see those different looks."
We caught up with McKinnon for a recent Timeout.
Q: What was it about Georgia Southern that you said, 'This is where I need to be'?
A: I didn't have any D-1 offers. Georgia Southern was in-state, and when I went down there on my visit, I just felt like I was already on the team. Out of all the places, I just felt like that was the right place. I chose it for many different reasons … the guys down there took me in like a little brother when I first got there, and I really felt welcomed.
Q: You played at Georgia Southern where 'the other' Adrian Peterson attended. What is it like to have a tie-in with both?
A: When I first went to college, I knew about that Adrian Peterson because one of my brother's best friends, who's like a brother to me, he played at Georgia Southern. I was able to meet with him and talk to him every year; we kind of established a pretty good relationship. Then I got drafted to the Minnesota Vikings and got to play with the other Adrian Peterson, so it was really the best of both worlds – going to Georgia Southern with him being the No. 1 rushing leader there, and then coming here and playing with Adrian, it's really just been a blessing.
Q: Is there a moment that stands out when you first came to Minnesota and met AP?
A: When I first got here [in 2014], I didn't see Adrian until a couple weeks into OTAs, and I was just like, 'Dang, it's really him.' He shook my hand, and I was like, 'Dang, you shook my hand kind of hard.' So I said, 'You're going to have to chill out a bit, bro … you can't be squeezing my hand.' But no, growing up and watching him, it's been a blessing these first three years just to play with him. He's probably the best running back to ever [play], so I just see that as nothing but positive.
Q: Is there a game that most stands out in your career so far?
A: Last year, beating Green Bay and winning the division. I had heard that we hadn't won the division around here in a long time, so being able to be a part of that, and then under Coach Zim' with his first one with the Vikings was something special. We battled all year.
Q: You changed your number to 21 this season – what was the reason behind that?
A: My mama, my brother and my uncle all wore 21. Being able to put that number on means a lot to me. My mom gave so much and put so much on the line for me and my brother growing up – my dad as well, but he didn't play sports. Being able to wear No. 21 in her honor is definitely something that I cherish. My brother is a good bit older than me, but an older sibling is like a super hero, so just watching him come up through high school and college wearing 21 and now me being able to wear it, I just feel like I hold them and their love with me.
Q: What is something outside of football that you're really good at?
A: Dancing. I be jigging, dancing. And then, I don't know what it is, but every time I'm around people, they just laugh at me. So I guess I'm a comedian. They don't really have an answer when I ask why they're laughing at me, so I guess I'd just say that I'm a jokester and I dance.
Q: You've come up a lot this year on '96 Questions with B-Rob.' Which of your teammates has done the best impression of you?
A: CP (Cordarrelle Patterson) does a good impression, [Anthony] Barr does a good impression, 'B-Rob' (Brian Robison) does a good impression. Pretty much anyone who tries does a good job. But I'd probably say CP – he has a really funny one.
Q: With the holidays coming up, do you remember a favorite gift you received growing up?
A: When I was little, I remember I got my first football uniform, it was the year before I was able to play. It was a North Carolina Tar Heels uniform, and I literally did not take it off – I wore it everywhere. Also, when I was a little kid I got a Mongoose (bicycle); it had pegs on it, so I was trying to do tricks and stuff like that. I kind of got [full of myself], so I told my brother I'd race him, and he smoked me.
