DeSean Jackson elevated Delaware State’s visibility, pride in Year 1 as head football coach

DOVER, Del. – Delaware State head football coach DeSean Jackson and the Hornets didn’t end their season winning the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) championship, but less than one year after his hiring, Jackson’s impact is clear.

The former NFL Pro Bowler transformed a program that had won only two games over the previous two seasons into conference runner-up. Delaware State ended this season 8-4 overall (4-1 MEAC), the program’s best record since 2007, when the Hornets finished 10-2 to win the MEAC title.

Beyond the record, Jackson’s influence is reflected in the renewed confidence of his players, the increased visibility of the historically Black university, and the belief of the athletic department that its football future can be brighter than its past.

“I think when you give people hope, you inspire people,” Jackson said after Delaware State’s 28-17 loss to South Carolina State for the MEAC title on Saturday at Alumni Stadium. “The culture sticks out. We’ve done a great job of turning [the program] around for us to be able to do what we did in a short span of time. … [To] the young guys, I said, ‘Man, remember this taste. Get it out your mouth fast.’ But it’s gonna be a long season of feeling this taste right here.”

Under Jackson’s “NewJacEra” program, Delaware State finished the season with the best rushing offense in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), leading the nation in total rushing yards (3,491), rushing yards per game (290.9) and rushing yards per attempt (6.50). The Hornets also finished No. 3 in the nation in total rushing touchdowns (38).

In the MEAC, the Hornets finished with the No. 1-ranked total offense and rushing offense and the No. 2 scoring defense. Running backs Marquis Gillis and James Jones finished the season ranked No. 1 and No. 3 in the conference in rushing yards, rushing for 1,197 and 958 yards, respectively.

In his five seasons at Delaware State, Gillis has watched the program’s evolution from being a middle-of-the-pack conference team (2021 and 2022) to recording one-win seasons (2023 and 2024) to making this year’s unexpected rise to the top of the MEAC. The Hornets’ eight victories gave Gillis the first winning season of his collegiate career.

Gillis said Jackson and his NFL-seasoned staff instilled winning into the team’s mindset. 

“We looked up to Coach Jackson, Coach [Clinton] Portis, and a couple other cats on the coaching staff who made it to the league. … When you see somebody that’s already made it, like they’re pulling up in cars or they just got certain things that other coaching staffs may not have, like certain access to certain people, you just got to take advantage of the opportunity,” Gillis said.

NFL alum Clinton Portis, the Hornets’ running back coach, said the heart of Delaware State’s rise came from a staff bonded by a rare sense of unity as a first-year group of former players and young coaches all pushing toward one shared purpose. 

“We’ve never been on a staff that’s this together or this enjoyable,” Portis said. “Jac [Jackson] is one of those coaches [who says], ‘Bro, this is my first time coaching. Y’all got to help me figure this out.’”

Since Jackson’s hiring in December 2024, Delaware State has seen an increase in visibility and national attention. The university enrolled its largest freshman class in school history this fall after receiving more than 20,000 applications for its fall class.

“Coach Jac’s presence at Delaware State has put the entire school on the map in my opinion,” Delaware State freshman Lyndon Campbell said. “No one was talking about Delaware State as a whole until Coach Jac got here. He has truly changed the culture here. … The atmosphere around campus just feels a little different.”

Prior to Jackson’s arrival, the Hornets already had plans for a dedicated football practice facility, but his star power has accelerated investment, pushing the long-awaited project closer to the finish line, said Temesghen Starr, Delaware State’s assistant vice president of athletics growth and revenue generation.

As a former NFL player with connections to other NFL players and owners, Jackson is resourceful when it comes to filling in financial gaps wherever the program lacked. He built an informal “Coach Jac Fund” to rally donors who wanted to uplift HBCUs and help Delaware State reach a competitive level.

“It’s always a good thing anytime you’re able to have an effect that turns to dollars and cents,” Jackson told Andscape earlier this month. “After the season, hopefully I can tally up and see what that really looks like because it definitely is a huge effect that’s impacted our school, our brand, and just Delaware in general. You got the mayor, the governor, and you got a lot of people that’s supporting it. The state of Delaware all got behind us because we haven’t had this type of success in a while.”

Delaware State athletic director Tony Tucker credits the positive changes within the football program to Jackson’s presence.

“I think that it’s no accident that Coach Jackson is the head football coach and all the exposure and branding and everything has come with that,” Tucker said. “We are a nationally known brand right now, and Coach Jackson has a whole lot to do with that.”

Starr said the university’s rise in national visibility shows how athletics can open doors for an entire institution. Appearing on platforms like ESPN and shows such as First Take and Good Morning America has shifted the national spotlight onto the school and sparked new curiosity among students seeking an HBCU experience, he said.

“Everybody’s heard of Howard, everybody’s heard of Jackson State. Now it’s Delaware State,” Starr said. “Everybody can walk around with their chests out a little bit more, head a little bit higher, and there’s a new swagger to DSU. You’re starting to see that. People are happy to be a part of it, and people who may not have been DSU supporters who were in the state of Delaware are now starting to say, ‘I need to be involved with Delaware State University.’”

Delaware State’s Oct. 30 game against Norfolk State at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia drew 47,266 fans, the Hornets’ highest attendance for a conference matchup in the last three years. Although the Philadelphia showcase proved Delaware State can draw a massive crowd on a big stage, the Hornets hope their on-field success will translate into fuller stands back home next season.

Attendance for the Hornets’ Senior Day matchup against South Carolina State was 4,077, nearly double the attendance for last season’s Senior Day, which drew 2,313 spectators.

While the athletic department said it has seen an increase in ticket sales this season, the average fan attendance of 3,389 for the Hornets’ five home games at 7,193-seat Alumni Stadium is roughly the same as in the 2024 season (3,333). Delaware State’s homecoming game attracted 3,385 attendees, nearly 2,000 fewer people than the 5,400 at last year’s homecoming contest.

This season’s breakthrough run has laid a solid foundation for the program’s future, sharpening expectations for what Year 2 under Jackson should look like.

Faith has been a quiet but constant engine behind Delaware State’s rise. Offensive coordinator Nyema Washington said Jackson and the coaching staff openly credit their progress to God’s timing and plan as much as their own grind. 

“The impact that Coach Jac has had on Delaware State University in this football program, it can’t be measured,” Washington said. “I’m just proud of how he’s handled this success, these things he expected. He walked in and he talked and he spoke this thing into existence. … You can only say God did.”

While the season was “bittersweet,” Tucker said, with the conference championship game appearance ending in a loss, he believes Jackson’s dedication to the program will fuel even greater results next year, both competitively and in elevating the university as a whole.

“I think we’re going to cross that hump. We’re going to actually be able to get that MEAC championship,” Tucker said. “I think that it’s going to be a lot of firsts. It’s going to be a lot of firsts in terms of Delaware State getting to the Celebration Bowl, and then hopefully Delaware State winning the Celebration Bowl. … This was a great first step in getting to that. Now we’re one step away from getting there.”

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