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by Cedric ‘BIG CED’ Thornton
December 25, 2025
‘We have some unfinished business to take care of on the field, and I am proud to be a part of the athletic transformation taking place at the school.’
Nearly a year after he signed to lead the Delaware State University football team, former NFL player DeSean Jackson has earned a contract extension after the team rebounded from a 1-11 season to an imposing 8-4 (4-1 in conference play) record this year.
The school, which almost claimed the MEAC title, lost to eventual champions South Carolina State University after not recording a winning season since 2012. Delaware rewarded Jackson by extending his deal until 2028. Jackson is one of the latest former NFL players (thanks, in part, to Deion Sanders’ coaching at an HBCU before heading to the University of Colorado Boulder) to enrich an HBCU program by leveraging their playing experience to raise HBCUs’ prominence.
This was the school’s best finish in nearly 20 years.
“Just two days before Christmas last year, I began the next phase of my professional career, as a first-time head coach, in a community I did not know, with players I did not recruit, said Jackson. “It was not easy, but it was important. Giving my whole self to these young men and representing one of the best Historically Black Colleges in the country has been a high honor and one I do not intend to take for granted. We have some unfinished business to take care of on the field, and I am proud to be a part of the athletic transformation taking place at the school.”
Delaware State University has won the MEAC (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) title five times under Coach Bill Collick, with high expectations to win one soon under Jackson’s leadership.
Along with the quick turnaround from 1-11 to 8-4, Delaware State also led the FCS (NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision) in rushing.
Jackson’s presence allowed several of his players to be recognized for their play throughout the season.
The team now has five players who are MEAC First Team selections: running back Marquis Gillis, the MEAC leader in rushing with 1,197 yards; running back James Jones, named the Impact Player of the year by the HBCU Superlative Awards; offensive linemen Jestus Johnson and Isaiah Cook; and linebacker Brian Bates.
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