Once Philadelphia's feared receiver, DeSean Jackson back on the field as Delaware State head football coach
A former Philadelphia Eagles football star is adding a new title to his stacked résumé. On Wednesday, DeSean Jackson will officially be introduced as Delaware State University's new head football coach.
Just over a year after Jackson retired from the NFL, the former Eagles wide receiver has found himself being compared to Deion Sanders.
Sanders, who spent more than 15 years playing in the league, got his coaching start at Jackson State University, an HBCU in Mississippi, before being hired by the University of Colorado.
"We've got to wrap our arms around this game changer and give him all the support he needs to become a successful college football coach," Sanders wrote on X. "He knows the game, knows what it takes to make it to the next level and he knows right from wrong. @DeSeanJackson10 Love ya Man! #CoachPrime."
We’ve got to wrap our arms around this game changer and give him all the support he needs to become a successful college football coach. He knows the game, knows what it takes to make it to the next level and he knows right from wrong. @DeSeanJackson10 Love ya Man! #CoachPrime pic.twitter.com/eupz1COR7Y
— COACH PRIME (@DeionSanders) January 8, 2025
Like Sanders, D-Jax is taking on the title of head coach as he prepares to lead the football program at Delaware State University, the only HBCU in Delaware.
Despite being compared to another player-turned-coach, Jackson says his focus is on helping the Hornets improve on and off the football field.
"Hornet nation, y'all ready? Dover, y'all ready? Let's get to work, it's on," Jackson said in a video posted on Facebook.
The job represents a bit of a homecoming for Jackson, who spent more than half of his 15-year career in Philadelphia. During his tenure as an Eagle, Jackson established himself as one of the most feared receivers and return men in the NFL.
"When Coach Jackson's name came up, everybody's eyes kind of widened and the faces kind of lit up," said Drew Ingraham, the deputy athletic director for operations at DSU. "We just thought, what an unbelievable opportunity."
Ingraham said Jackson's commitment to developing well-rounded young men made him the ideal coaching candidate.
"Nobody was going to doubt his football IQ and his football ability," Ingraham said. "But when he really talked about the importance of education and the importance of being in the classroom, of being a member of the community, and how important that is for him, for his student-athletes, to be part of the Delaware State campus community, it just checks so many boxes."
On Monday, Jackson hyped up the student body during halftime at Delaware State's men's basketball game and declared his goals for the upcoming season.
"We want y'all to know, we want to bring a championship. We want to win a [Mid-Atlantic Eastern Conference] championship in the first year," Jackson told the cheering crowd.
Ingraham said Jackson addressed the football team for the first time Tuesday, setting expectations and instilling hope in the players' future.
"But he also said that the time is now. We're not taking our time to make our impact felt," Ingraham said. "We're not taking our time to show the MEAC what Delaware State football is all about. The time is now. Work begins today."
Delaware State will officially introduce Jackson as its next head football coach at noon Wednesday, Jan. 8.