When he arrived at Delaware State, DeSean Jackson made history. He took a team that was one-and-eleven the year before and turned them into a championship contender, finishing the season with an eight-and-four record and a four-and-one record in the MEAC.
Jackson and his coaching staff completely overhauled the culture of Delaware State, establishing a gritty, rough, and rugged rushing attack that ranked them at the top of the FCS in rushing yardage. They put the nation on notice with how competitive they were against FCS-contender-turned-FBS-program Delaware, shocking the college football world with their performance.
That competitiveness extended to high-powered offenses such as Monmouth, but the most impressive feat was the huge win over North Carolina Central during their homecoming to open up the in-conference slate. Delaware State was in competition for the MEAC title and the Celebration Bowl until they faced Chennis Berry’s South Carolina State Bulldogs in the final week of the season.
It's not irrational to believe that Delaware State will once again be competitive in year two under Jackson's tenure. However, Jackson has lost several offensive weapons, specifically in the running back room. Both Marquis Gillis and James Jones, Delaware State's high-powered running back duo, left the program via the transfer portal. With many of the key contributors on offense and defense from the 2025 season departing the program, how well will Delaware State fare in the 2026 season?
Win Prediction: 7-9 wins
I believe that Delaware State has all the potential to win nine games in the 2026 season. I believe that they'll go 5-1 or 4-2 in out-of-conference play, with guaranteed victories over Stony Brook, Bowie State, and Franklin Pierce. Their out-of-conference success against FCS programs will spark significant conversation about their viability for the FCS playoffs.
The only thing that would prevent that is if opponents such as William & Mary, Towson, and the University of Albany have less-than-stellar seasons, making those potential victories not as impressive to the committee choosing at-large teams for a bid into the playoff bracket. Nevertheless, those victories would cause a lot of winning momentum for the Hornets heading into conference play. I believe they will beat Norfolk State, Morgan State, and Howard, enjoying a three-game win streak from October 31st through November 14th.
But the true test in the MEAC is if Delaware State can find a way to beat North Carolina Central again, this time hosting them in Dover, and if they'll be able to beat South Carolina State to usurp them as the standard-bearers in the conference. It's hard for me to bet against Trei Oliver and his ability to diagnose where his team went wrong in playing Delaware State last season and adjust accordingly.
Against a team such as North Carolina Central, will the loss of Marquis Gillis have a disproportionate effect on the team? During that game last year, he rushed for 108 yards and two touchdowns on twenty-one attempts, leading a Delaware State rushing attack that North Carolina Central seemed unable to stop. With Jones and Gillis gone, will Delaware State have other offensive players that can step up into those roles for the Hornets in year two?
But the North Carolina Central game also showcased a glaring weakness that the 2025 Hornets had to deal with. In that game, the Eagles’ star quarterback Walker Harris threw for three hundred fifty-four yards and two touchdowns. Delaware State's secondary was the worst in the MEAC in passing yardage allowed, as they gave up 268.4 yards per game and a total of twenty-six passing touchdowns. The touchdown total was the second-worst, ahead only of Michael Vick’s Norfolk State Spartans.
If Delaware State wants to have a chance to beat both South Carolina State and North Carolina Central, it will rest on shoring up its secondary and finding lightning in a bottle again for its rushing attack. But it isn't improbable that Delaware State could win the MEAC and make the Cricket Celebration Bowl this December. Only time will tell, and these predictions are “way too early” as many variables have to play out before the teams hit the turf this fall.
But DeSean Jackson is very likely poised for another resounding season and could raise his stock as a key coaching hire for the 2027 offseason.
