The Football Brainiacs

The Path to Norman

McKinney was a bit of a late addition to the Sooners SS17 class. He committed to Kansas November 13, 2016, but decommitted just nine days later. It then looked like Texas may be the landing spot for the defensive lineman, but an OU offer extended on December 17th drew a commitment the same day. Despite being seen as a raw football player, McKinney certainly had a lot of the physical attributes looked for in linemen. He spent time in high school playing as a 3-4 nose tackle.

Career So Far

Zacchaeus redshirted in 2017 and spent a year getting more acclimated with the college level of play and spending time in the weight room. 2018 saw no playing time for the Texas native. In 2019, McKinney earned playing time for the South Dakota game and registered a tackle for loss.

Current Profile

Position: Defensive Line
Height: 6’3”
Weight: 258
Year: Redshirt Junior

Stats

2019: 1 TFL

Highlights

2020 Season

While it seemed possible that McKinney could transfer over the winter, he stuck with the Sooners. Guys like Neville Gallimore, Marquise Overton, and Dillon Faamatau have all moved on, clearing a path for new faces in the interior defensive line. McKinney came to OU at 300 lb, and was at 288 last spring. He is now at 258; TFB recently reported that he wanted to lose some bad weight and put on some good weight. While McKinney came to OU as a defensive tackle, he could feasibly play tackle or end this fall, especially with how hard he’s worked to get into shape. While there are plenty of options on the line, Zacchaeus McKinney is in a great position to show the staff that his time has come.