Redhawks kick returner will not return to team next season

The Southeast Missouri State football team will no longer have the services of one of the Redhawks' all-time elite return specialists.

Jacob McKinley, who ranks among the top kickoff return men in school history, recently decided to leave the program.

McKinley, who completed his sophomore season this year, said he is giving up football primarily for academic reasons.

"There are no hard feelings," McKinley said. "My grades were suffering. Some people can do both [sports and academics], but I was having trouble. I just want to get my grades up."

McKinley averaged 22.4 yards per kickoff return as a true freshman in 2008 and 22.6 yards per kickoff return this year for a career mark of 22.5 yards on 71 attempts.

McKinley holds the top two single-season kickoff return yardage totals in school history. He set the standard in his rookie season with 785 yards and broke it this year with 813 yards.

McKinley ranks second on the program's career list for kickoff return average. He also has the fifth and sixth best single-season kickoff return average marks.

Although McKinley never scored a touchdown on a return, he came close several times. His career-long return was 85 yards in 2008 and he had an 80-yarder this year. The 85-yarder was the longest kickoff return by a Southeast player since 2004.

McKinley was also Southeast's primary punt returner this year, although he had considerably less success, averaging only 3.5 yards on 17 returns.

As a freshman, McKinley returned four punts and averaged 10 yards.

McKinley saw limited action as at tailback the past two seasons, rushing a total of 38 times for 136 yards, a 3.6-yard average. He scored one touchdown -- the only TD of his college career -- on a run in 2008. He also caught six career passes for 11 yards.

"He's a great kid and we wish him well," Southeast coach Tony Samuel said. "He did a very good job for us."

The 5-foot-8, 170-pound McKinley, a graduate of Parkway North High School in suburban St. Louis, remains enrolled at Southeast. He said he plans to attend the University of Missouri next year and focus on academics.

McKinley said there is a chance he could make an attempt to resume his football career.

"If I miss it and my grades are good, I might try to walk on [at MU]," he said.

Samuel also confirmed the departure of junior linebacker Tyler Epstein, who began the year as a starter but soon lost his job and saw limited action most of the season.

Epstein returned an interception for a touchdown in a season-opening rout of Quincy, a game that saw him make four tackles. He finished the year with 11 tackles.

Attrition is common for college football programs, for a variety of reasons. Several players leave the Southeast program each year, something Samuel comes to expect.

"It's very normal," he said.