If you’re gonna take over a college football program that just went 2-21 over the last two years, you better walk in with either a miracle or a mouthpiece. DeSean Jackson? He pulled up with both. But before putting on the headset at Delaware State, he made it clear: this job is no handout, and the bar was already raised by another legend—Deion Sanders.
On the latest episode of All Facts No Brakes with Keyshawn Johnson, Jackson sat across from Paul Pierce, Baron Davis, and Keyshawn, reflecting on his path and dropping nothing but respect for the man who kicked the door open for NFL stars in HBCU coaching. “Coach Prime, man, I can’t stress enough about how he’s opened doors up for guys like myself,” Jackson said. “We talked about Michael Vick being in Norfolk. We play this year. So just being able to learn from guys like him, that’s been at an HBCU when he was at Jackson State… this is a stepping stone for me.”
Just a few years ago, Jackson State was barely scraping by. In 2019, they limped to a 4–8 record. Fast forward two seasons under Prime, and JSU’s going undefeated in the regular season, winning back-to-back SWAC titles, and flipping the No. 1 recruit in the country—Travis Hunter. DeSean watched all that from the sidelines. Now, he’s stepping into the arena. And oh yeah—he’s going to war with his old Eagles teammate Michael Vick, who’s now running the show at Norfolk State. DSU plays Norfolk this season. At Lincoln Financial Field. The Home of the Eagles.
Jackson knows what he walked into at Delaware State: a program that hasn’t sniffed a winning season in years. He’s not inheriting tradition or trophies—he’s inheriting problems. “Obviously, I want to come there. They only won two games in the past two years. You know what I’m saying? So I’m coming into a situation I can’t do no worse. And I’m gonna bet on myself. Ain’t no shoe too big for me to fill.”
Those words hit different when you realize DSU went 1-10 in 2023 and doubled down on disaster with a 1-11 showing in 2024. Not a single MEAC win either year. It’s hard to overstate how broken the program was under Lee Hull. But Jackson ain’t flinching. He knows what Coach Prime did at Jackson State—turning a 4–8 team into a SWAC champion—and then taking Colorado from 1–11 to a 9–4 season, all within 4 years. Deion Sanders has come a long way. That blueprint is sitting right there for DeSean Jackson and Michael Vick.
DeSean Jackson’s impact at Delaware State
Less than six months in, and DeSean Jackson already flipped the script at Delaware State—at least off the field. If there were doubts about whether he could recruit, well, they disappeared the moment 400+ hungry high schoolers pulled up to his inaugural Mega Camp last month.
“This is our first high school mega camp and, I think, for us, it’s just inspiring, man, to see kids want to be around this,” Jackson said, mid-drill, sweat glistening and clipboard in hand. He wasn’t sitting back like a celebrity coach. He was in it—whistling, coaching, dapping up kids, and letting them know: HBCUs ain’t the fallback anymore. They’re the come-up.
That camp didn’t just draw bodies, it brought ballers. Two wideouts, Jonathan Manley and Kelson Tate, left with offers and soon after locked in commitments. Both outta Weddington High in Charlotte, they weren’t just camp stars—they were proof that DSU is suddenly a place worth choosing. Before Jackson, these kids might’ve ghosted any recruiter who dropped a DSU pitch. Now? They’re rolling with the Hornets.
And it ain’t just North Carolina. Jackson’s got pipelines forming coast-to-coast, especially back home in California. His recruiting class is shaping up like a mixtape: part bounce, part speed, all gas. He’s stacking transfers from the FBS ranks and mixing in raw high school talent.
There’s no fairytale here. Delaware State still has a steep hill to climb. But this new energy? It’s real. DSU’s social engagement is spiking. Recruits are responding. And fans who’ve been in football hibernation are slowly waking up to a new vibe. The question now isn’t whether DeSean Jackson can coach—it’s how fast he can build.
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