As a true freshman at Oregon in 2018, McKinley played in three games before taking a
redshirt. As a redshirt freshman in 2019, he started 11 of 14 games, recording 46 tackles and four
interceptions. In 2020, he started six of seven games and had 46 tackles and one interception. McKinley 2021 season at Oregon he earned first-team consensus
All-American and first-team
All-Pac-12 Conference honors as a junior in 2021. He started all 14 games that seasons, recording 78 tackles (44 solo), six interceptions, 12 passes defensed and one forced fumble. In McKinley's collegiate career, he recorded 11 interceptions in 38 games. McKinley was a three-year starter (2019–2021). He was named a finalist for the
Jim Thorpe Award. ==Professional career==