Former Philadelphia Eagles star DeSean Jackson appears to be the next former NFL star to take over at an HBCU.
Jackson is expected to be named the next head coach at Delaware State according to multiple reports. The news was first reported by Jeff Lightsy, Jr. on Thursday afternoon.
Delaware State is an FCS HBCU that plays in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC). The school recently fired head coach Lee Hull after two seasons and a 2-21 record. DSU has not had a winning season since 2012 and hasn’t won a MEAC title since 2007.
DeSean Jackson had a long, successful NFL career, primarily with the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Redskins. From 2008 through 2022 he caught 641 passes for 11,263 yards and 58 touchdowns, earning three Pro Bowl nods. He had two 1,000 yard plus seasons with the Washington franchise before his numbers began to decline as he hopped to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, back to the Eagles and had stints with the Raiders and Baltimore Ravens before his career ended in 2002.
Jackson’s hire comes less than a week after Michael Vick, another former Philadelphia Eagles star, was officially named head coach at Norfolk State University, another HBCU in the MEAC. They are the latest former NFL stars to be hired as HBCU head football coaches with little to no head coaching experience. Deion Sanders kicked it off in 2020 when he was named head coach at Jackson State. Eddie George was hired at Tennnessee State a few months after that and Eddie Robinson Jr. was hired at his alma mater — Alabama State — despite having never coached prior to accepting that job in Dec. 2021.