Career
• Three-year letterwinner and two-year starter
• Voted a two-time team captain
• Played in 62 career games (24 at Texas State and 38 at UK) with 40 starting assignments (14 at Texas State and 26 at UK)
• Totaled 283 career tackles, including 148 in two years at UK
• Charted 12.0 career TFLs along with 3.0 sacks, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and 17 pass breakups

2024 – *Senior (Team Captain)
• All-SEC Honorable Mention (CFN)
• Started in all 12 games
• Fourth on the team in total tackles (55) and tackles for loss (6.0)
• Led the team with a team-high tying six quarterback hurries with outside linebacker J.J. Weaver
• Also posted two pass breakups, a sack, and a forced fumble
• Earned five total tackles, including a sack and a career-high three tackles for loss (-10 yards) vs. South Carolina
• Got eight tackles and a career-high two quarterback hurries at Tennessee

2023 – Junior (Team Captain)
• Reese’s Senior Bowl Watch List
• Named one of seven permanent team captains for the season
• Started in all 13 games
• Totaled 59 tackles, 1.0 sacks, 2.0 TFL, three PBUs and a fumble recovery
• Got a season-high eight tackles vs. Tennessee and also vs. Clemson in the Gator Bowl

2022 – Sophomore
• Played in all 13 games with his first career start coming against No. 1 Georgia
• Totaled 34 tackles, 2.0 tackles for loss, a sack and two pass breakups
• Had a season-high nine tackles in his starting debut against top-ranked Georgia
• Followed that performance with five tackles, his first career sack and a PBU in the win over Louisville
• Appeared in 24 games with 14 starts in two seasons at Texas State

2021 – r-Freshman (Texas State)
• Appeared in 24 games with 14 starts at Texas State
• Played in all 12 of the Bobcats’ games with eight starting nods
• Tallied 74 tackles (41 solo), 1.5 tackles for loss, an interception, five pass breakups and two forced fumbles
• Ranked 17th in the Sun Belt in total tackles, 10th in the conference in solo tackles, and third on the team in tackles
• Was one of three Bobcats to intercept a pass, tied for second on team in forced fumbles and third on the team in pass breakups

2021 – Freshman (Texas State)
• Played in 12 games with six starts at nickel back
• Recorded 61 tackles to tie for fifth among team leaders
• Ranked third on the team with 35 solo stops
• Broke up four passes and recovered a fumble against SMU
• Recorded a career-best nine tackles at No. 11-ranked BYU
• Tallied seven stops at Georgia Southern
• Had six tackles against SMU and Boston College High School
• Three-star prospect out of Houston’s New Caney High School where he starred as the school’s quarterback for two years and wide receiver for two years
• Two-time District 9-5A-I Overall Most Valuable Player
• Two-time First-Team All-State
• Montgomery County Player of the Year
• Ran for nearly 3,000 yards and had 21 touchdown passes as a senior
• Also was a four-year letter winner in basketball and track & field

Personal
• Born in Houston, Texas
• Son of Cynthia and Deric Childress
• Has two siblings, Deric Jr. and C’Nai
• Cousins R.J. Jackson (WR) and Marcus Jackson (QB) played college football at LSU and TCU, respectively
• Graduated in May ’24 with a degree in communication

Zion Says
• His nickname is “Champ”
• He chose Kentucky because it offered him the best opportunity to fulfill his dreams
• One word to describe him on the field is “ballhawk”
• Three words to describe him are smart, passionate, and caring
• His favorite family recipe to make and eat is gumbo