DeSean Jackson’s appointment as the head coach of the Delaware State Hornets caught college football unawares. But what was even more shocking was how he had a winning season with almost no coaching experience. As he talks about his mind-blowing debut season, Jackson mentions former teammate and current rival Michael Vick as a “blessing.”

“I mean, honestly, to coach last year and to be at a division one, obviously HBCU, it was kind of surreal,” Jackson said on Up & Adams Show with Kay Adams. “To this moment, I still don’t see how I’m a head coach in collegiate football. Never predicted that. But to take a team that was 1 and 11, and obviously pull off what we pulled off last year, the game at Lincoln Financial Field.

“I mean, to see all those fans come out and support me. And you know, my brother, Michael Vick, was a blessing moment. Like I said, the biggest thing is just pouring into these young men and just trying to change their future and their lives.”

Jackson and Vick were both Eagles teammates from 2009-2013, forming a quarterback-receiver duo in those five years. But beyond the playing field, they had a brotherly relationship that transcended their time with the Eagles. In fact, Vick had reached out to Jackson to join his coaching staff before Jackson was hired by Delaware State.

Now, Vick is with Norfolk State, and they are both head coaches of two HBCU programs. The pair faced off for the first time as head coaches at Lincoln Financial Field last October. And what followed was even more love and support for Jackson from Vick.

“I never thought I’d look across the field and watch him coach,” Vick said. “I know vice versa for him. It was just a really cool moment, a surreal moment. You just never know what life is going to put in front of you.”

Vick was not the only one surprised by Jackson’s head coaching role; it was a situation no one was prepared for. No matter how poorly the Delaware State Hornets were performing, appointing a rookie head coach, whose only prior coaching experience was a six-month stint at a high school, did not seem like a good decision.

Jackson had no affiliations with Delaware whatsoever. He was born in Los Angeles and played college football for UNC. The closest he ever got to the state of Delaware was during his NFL career, where he played for both the Philadelphia Eagles and the Baltimore Ravens.

However, the Hornets needed an urgent solution. Lee Hull, who had prior coaching experience with the Indianapolis Colts, Oregon State, Morgan State, and others, led them into more disaster, totaling a 2-21 record in his two seasons with them. At that point, the program understood the need for a new look.

And it coincided with the time when former NFL stars with no prior coaching experience were becoming head coaches. Michael Vick was hired at Norfolk State, Eddie George was appointed as head coach of Tennessee State, and Deion Sanders went from Jackson State to Colorado. They had seen how these players gave the program some star power, connections, attractiveness for recruits, and visibility.

Joining the trend, the Delaware State Hornets picked DeSean Jackson as their chosen one. All Jackson came with was a prolific NFL career and his experience as the offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach at Woodrow Wilson Classical High School in Long Beach, California. With his help, the team finished with a 9-5 record and had an offense that averaged over 29 points per game. And as we can all see, that was just enough to give him a dream start to life in college football.

Jackson finished his debut season with an 8-4 record and a 4-1 record in the MEAC. Also, when he faced his former Eagles teammate, Michael Vick, at Lincoln Financial Field, his team defeated Norfolk State 27-20. Unfortunately, Vick ended the season with a 1-11 record. But that did not stop Jackson from showering him with praises, saying that they were “in a position where we’re inspiring, changing young men’s lives at HBCUs.”

Jackson and Vick follow Deion Sanders’ blueprint

Deion Sanders was one of the coaches who began the trend of former NFL stars coaching HBCU programs. Before his move to the Colorado Buffaloes, Sanders had a successful stint at Jackson State, where he won multiple conference championships. Vick and Jackson have not only followed him on that path, but they also actively pick up lessons and ideas from him.

“Coach Prime, to me, has been tremendous,” Jackson said. “Going through my process with an HBCU, coaching at Delaware State. What to expect, what not to expect. The biggest thing, you know, was how vulnerable he was. And the challenge. Everything I’m going through, he already went through. So he knows the ins and outs, and he knows what to prepare me for. Without him, I probably wouldn’t be in this position. So I take my hat off to him.

“It’s always been a great relationship with Deion, dating back to when I was a player,” Vick said about Deion Sanders. “And so now it’s just grown as he’s grown as a man, as I’ve grown as a man, find ways to ask different questions and to communicate differently… I can bounce ideas off him, and he can throw some things at me.”

Both Vick and Sanders played for the Atlanta Falcons in the NFL. Although they did not meet on the team, they had a decent relationship that improved significantly when Vick was about to become a college football coach. Like Jackson, Vick also reached out to Sanders for some advice and guidance.