The football schedule for DeSean Jackson's debut season as head coach at Delaware State has been announced. The team will host MEAC powerhouses Howard University and South Carolina State, along with a challenging out-of-conference lineup that promises to put the team to the test.

The Hornets will open their 12-game season on Thursday, Aug. 28, with a highly anticipated in-state rivalry game against the University of Delaware Blue Hens. The matchup will take place in Newark and reignite the battle between the two programs, who last faced off in September 2022. Delaware State will look to overturn a decades-long drought against the Blue Hens, who have won every meeting since their playoff clash in 2007.

The Hornets' home opener is slated for back-to-back Saturdays, Sept. 6 and Sept. 13, as they host the University of Albany from the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) and Division II CIAA competitor Bowie State University. Jackson's squad will then hit the road for three consecutive away games, visiting regional non-conference foes St. Francis (Sept. 20), Sacred Heart (Sept. 27), and Monmouth (Oct. 4). On Oct. 11, Delaware State's Homecoming game will feature a first-ever matchup against Southern Connecticut State University.

The second half of the season kicks off with MEAC play. The Hornets will travel to North Carolina Central on Oct. 25 before hosting one of the most anticipated games of the year. On Nov. 1, Delaware State will welcome Michael Vick’s Norfolk State Spartans.

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The matchup pits the two former NFL stars turned coaches against each other for the first time ever in a matchup that will surely captivate the college football world.  In January, Jackson even expressed interest in playing the game at Lincoln Financial Field, home of the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles.

“But it's crazy because we play them on November 1st. I'm trying to get that game at The Linc,” he said to Shady McCoy on their podcast The 25/10 Show.

After a road game at Morgan State on Nov. 8, the Hornets will return to Alumni Stadium for a two-game homestand to close out the regular season. They will host MEAC powerhouses Howard University on Nov. 15 and South Carolina State University on Nov. 22, both of which are expected to be key matchups in determining conference standings.