There was an influx of optimism following DeSean Jackson’s high-profile appointment as head football coach of Delaware State. But despite that, the program was projected to finish at the bottom of the MEAC. But that’s alright for the former Eagles WR. That’s how he likes it. The Hornets were picked to place sixth, behind Norfolk State, whose coaching staff now features former teammate and NFL icon Michael Vick.
DeSean Jackson didn’t bother with the traditional suit-and-tie at MEAC Media Day. He showed up in a team polo, talking ball like he still had his cleats in his trunk. At 38, he’s not just the youngest coach in the conference, he’s the most culturally dialed-in, especially to his players. He’s relatable, magnetic, and still very much wired like the deep-threat assassin we all watched cook secondaries for a decade-plus. When asked about the tall coaching resumes around him, he didn’t flinch.
“Some of these guys, their track record, it’s long. But for me and Vick, it’s our first year coaching. We got a lot to learn, but we’re confident and competitive,” Jackson said. “We don’t care how long you’ve been coaching. When it’s time to line up, put your best up. I’ll put mine up, and let’s get it on.” He grinned. “After the game, we shake hands and show respect. But during those three hours? It’s gonna get real. We take no prisoners.”
That quote might just become a t-shirt in Dover before Week 1. And Jackson’s not posturing. He knows the record. Just two wins over the last two seasons. A program teetering between forgotten and finished. But that’s exactly why he’s here. He’s not trying to run from DSU’s history. He’s trying to flip the culture into a winning one. “We not where we wanna be at, but we climbing,” he said. “By training camp, in our first game of the year, we gonna be ready—full force, with speed, ready to go.”
The word “mentality” keeps coming up in Jackson’s early messaging, and that’s not by accident. He’s built his identity on explosiveness. On being first off the ball, and first to the punch. He wants that DNA embedded into every locker in Memorial Hall. Last season, the Hornets lost six games in the fourth quarter. Jackson sees that not just as a conditioning issue, but a psychological wall. “That’s a mentality thing, a fatigue thing, and we’ve been addressing it since day one,” he said. “That’s what we’re rebuilding brick by brick.”
He’s also building trust. The two veterans chosen to represent the team at media day, linebacker Brian Bates and running back Marquis Gillis, spoke openly about the shift in energy since DeSean Jackson arrived. There’s no gimmick to it. He brings NFL-level competitiveness but delivers it in a way that resonates with 19-year-olds who once watched him ball out on Sunday Night Football. That’s hard currency in a locker room starving for belief. And while Delaware State landed No. 17 in the NCAA’s HBCU football power rankings in “The Road to Atlanta” preseason list. There’s still zero hype around them nationally.
DeSean Jackson shrugs off last-place MEAC projection
If DeSean Jackson’s new coaching era at Delaware State needed any extra fuel. The Hornets were slotted dead last again. But the former NFL Pro Bowler didn’t blink. In fact, he welcomed it like a challenge route in practice.
“That doesn’t bother me,” Jackson said during MEAC Media Day. “I know the work we’re putting in. I love the underdog. I’ve been an underdog my whole life, and I’ve been successful my whole life.” That show of grit was a shot of adrenaline straight into a program desperate for leadership. The Hornets haven’t had a winning season in 12 years and haven’t lifted the MEAC trophy since 2007.
The offseason brought sweeping changes, including the departure of head coach Lee Hull after back-to-back rough seasons. “We want to be at the Celebration Bowl this year,” Jackson said. “We want to win the MEAC this year. Whatever was going on, we can’t do that anymore.” Now, with Jackson calling the shots, the tone has shifted from damage control to domination.
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