DeSean Jackson signs contract extension to remain Delaware State’s coach through 2028

In his first year at the helm, the former Eagles receiver led the Hornets to an 8-4 finish, the most wins in a season for the program since 2007.

Delaware State coach DeSean Jackson signed a contract extension that runs through the 2028 season.Read moreSteven M. Falk / For The Inquirer

by Devin Jackson

Published Dec. 23, 2025, 11:39 a.m. ET

DeSean Jackson made a splash in his first season coaching Delaware State’s football team. Now the former Eagles wide receiver is being rewarded for it.

After an 8-4 finish, the most wins in a season for the Hornets since 2007, the university announced Tuesday that it has signed Jackson to a contract extension that runs through the 2028 season. He previously agreed to a four-year deal last year.

The Hornets were picked to finish last in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference but ended up in second behind South Carolina State after a 28-17 loss in the regular-season finale. Jackson’s team led the Football Championship Subdivision in rushing yards per game (291.2) and had a winning record for the first time in 13 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. It was not easy, but it was important,” Jackson said in a news release. “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.”

The highlight of Jackson’s season came during the HBCU Battle of Legends between his Delaware State team and Michael Vick’s Norfolk State at Lincoln Financial Field, as the former Eagles teammates faced off for the first time as coaches. Delaware State beat Norfolk State, 27-20, in the Oct. 30 matchup. The game brought in more than 47,000 fans and felt like a night of celebration that was more than a football game.

The Eagles and Delaware State have already expressed interest in bringing another game to the Linc next season.

For his successful debut season, Jackson, 39, was also named the Boxtorow HBCU Coach of the Year.

“The job of Delaware State is not to develop a good story about access and opportunity that changes and prepares young people to take their rightful place of usefulness and honor in a global community. That is Delaware State already,” said Tony Allen, Delaware State’s president. “Our goal is to increase the number of storytellers who believe in the power of HBCUs like ours and can make the investment in a future they can see for themselves, their community, and their country. Coach Jackson understands that vision and is helping us carry that message around the world.”