Ga'Quincy "Kool-Aid" McKinstry (born September 30, 2002) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover Wide receiver, receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such Play from scrimmage, offensive running plays as sweep ...

. He was named the 2021 ''USA Today'' High School Football Defensive Player of the Year before playing college football at

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County , LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham , area_total_km2 = 135,765 ...

, where he was named an All-American in 2023.

Early life and high school

McKinstry grew up in

Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Birmingham is the seat of Jefferson County, Alabama's most populous county. As of the 2021 census estimates, Birmingham had a population of 197,575, down 1% fr ...

and attended

Pinson Valley High School Pinson Valley High School (PVHS) is a four-year public high school in the Birmingham, Alabama suburb of Pinson. It is the fifth largest of the Jefferson County Board of Education's fourteen high schools. School colors are garnet and gold, and t ...

Pinson, Alabama Pinson is a city in Jefferson County near Birmingham, Alabama, United States, northwest of Center Point. As of the 2010 census, the population was 7,163. History Pinson was incorporated in March 2004. Geography This city is located at (33 ...

. He was named Alabama Mr. Football as a senior after breaking up 12 passes with two interceptions, both of which he returned for touchdowns, on defense and catching 45 passes for 706 yards and 11 touchdowns on offense. He was named the USA Today Defensive Player of the Year as a senior. McKinstry was rated a five-star recruit and committed to play college football at Alabama.

College career

McKinstry played in every game was named to the

Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is an American college athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central and Southeastern United States. Its fourteen members include the flagship public universities o ...

(SEC) All-Freshman team, making 25 tackles with a sack and one interception. He declared for the

2024 NFL draft The 2024 NFL Draft will be the 89th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players. The draft is scheduled to be held in Detroit, Michigan. Host city Detroit was chosen as the host city on March 28, ...

following the 2023 season in which he was named first-team All-American.

Professional career

On March 1, 2024, it was revealed that McKinstry was diagnosed with a fracture in his right foot, preventing him from taking part at the Combine, but he later stated that he would still participate in the Pro Day activities.

Personal life

McKinstry was nicknamed "Kool-Aid" by his grandmother as a baby because his smile reminded her of the Kool-Aid Man. He signed a

Name, Image and Likeness In college athletics in the United States, the National Collegiate Athletic Association ("NCAA") has historically resisted efforts to compensate college athletes. However, after years of effort by those in favor of student athlete compensation, c ...

(NIL) deal with

Kool-Aid Kool-Aid is an American brand of flavored drink mix owned by Kraft Heinz based in Chicago, Illinois. The powder form was created by Edwin Perkins in 1927 based upon a liquid concentrate called Fruit Smack. History Kool-Aid was invented by ...

as a freshman at Alabama.

References

External links

*
Alabama Crimson Tide bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:McKinstry, Kool-Aid 2002 births Living people Players of American football from Birmingham, Alabama American football cornerbacks Alabama Crimson Tide football players