Ahmad Gardner is not a famous name, but Sauce Gardner certainly is. Another defensive back with a unique nickname that captures the imagination has entered the NFL: Quincy McKinstry, or Kool-Aid McKinstry as he’s probably better known.
The cornerback from the University of Alabama is set to be selected in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, and his selection will leave millions wondering who he is and how he will play. You’ll be left wondering not only if it’s a thing, but why he was named “Kool-Aid.”
McKinstry, a native of Birmingham, Alabama, was given the nickname “Kool-Aid” by her grandmother as a baby. She was named soon after birth, so she’s more than just a young baby. The story of how the nickname came about was told to the Tuscaloosa News in 2023.. McKinstry’s grandmother, Brenda Allen, was handed her grandchild shortly after she gave birth, but instead of crying or sleeping, she had a big smile on her face that reminded her of the Kool-Aid Man. It is said that
“I told his mom,” Brenda said. “I said, ‘Look at this kid with this big Kool-Aid smile.'”
Grandma never stopped calling him “Kool-Aid” and the name stuck. It remained so strong that school administrators growing up knew that McKinstry would call the boy by the nickname “Kool-Aid” whenever they picked him up from school.
that’s not to say he is I never have His family called him Gaquincy, but it was usually reserved for when he had an attitude or to convey the seriousness of a conversation. The rest of the time, he was just “Kool-Aid.”
That’s because by the time McKinstry was offered a scholarship by the University of Alabama, the Name-Image Similarity (NIL) revolution had just begun, and, unsurprisingly, another deal awaited him. I matched my hands and gloves.
Signing an athlete to play for the Crimson Tide only makes sense if you’re an anthropomorphic pitcher of referee fluid. The fact that his nickname was Kool-Aid was even better. Now he’s going to get a chance to shine in the NFL, and he’s a great player.
While the 2024 class is generally thought to be lacking in top-level running back talent, McKinstry is an incredible prospect who could be special with a little training in the NFL. As it stands, he is a natural athlete with great instincts to play the ball off the snap. There’s some work to be done with his pre-snap awareness and questions about whether he has the consistent deep speed to cover outside receivers and top-tier YAC targets, but at least McKinstry is high. We are working on a project aimed at the NFL level. A starter who can do more.
So if a team is looking for pass coverage help, it turns out Kool-Aid could be the answer.
