The rise of Delaware State under DeSean Jackson seems like something straight out of a sports movie. This program barely made it through the 1-11 season a year ago. And now on Saturday, they just shattered the Eagles’ homecoming in front of around 13,000 fans by marching into Durham and shocking North Carolina Central 35–26. Jackson had kept his players focused and motivated earlier in the week by saying, “We’re on to the next… we can still work, still prepare.” And his guys turned a 10-7 halftime deficit into a stunning second-half comeback.

In a recent X post OPta FCS Football wrote, “Delaware State (5-3, 1-0 MEAC) 35, North Carolina Central (5-3, 0-1) 26 DSU’s NyGhee Lolley: 5 receptions, 124 yards, 3 TDs Under first-year coach DeSean Jackson, Hornets have FCS’ largest improvement in wins (1-11 last season).” The win in Durham was a full-circle moment that carried decades of weight. For the first time since 1977, the Hornets won at O’Kelly-Riddick Stadium, largely due to the leadership of the first-year head coach, who is transforming this once-forgotten HBCU team into one of the FCS’ biggest storylines.

Delaware State (5-3, 1-0 MEAC) 35,
North Carolina Central (5-3, 0-1) 26

DSU’s NyGhee Lolley: 5 receptions, 124 yards, 3 TDs
Under first-year coach DeSean Jackson, Hornets have FCS’ largest improvement in wins (1-11 last season) pic.twitter.com/FGhTN2w58E

— Opta FCS Football (@OptaAnalystFCS) October 25, 2025

Jackson had said earlier during North Carolina Central’s Homecoming celebrations, “Let the distractions be on them. We’re gonna refocus, and we’re gonna be ready to go.” And he was right. His team just stole the show. The Hornets did it with grit, heart, and an unrelenting run game that chewed up 241 yards on the ground. Delaware native senior Marquis Gillis raced like a man possessed, scoring two late touchdowns and 108 yards to secure the win. You could just feel the momentum shift when NyGhee Lolley, another in-state kid, pulled in that 72-yard ball from quarterback Kaiden Bennett. Lolley’s three-touchdown explosion was a statement that the new era of Delaware State football has arrived.

From being ranked dead last in the MEAC preseason poll to suddenly sitting at the top of the conference, DeSean Jackson’s Delaware State team has turned the tables in the most dramatic way. The Hornets now have an easy road to the MEAC Championship and possibly a spot in the Celebration Bowl. And this is the nation’s No.1 rushing team, wrecking defenses for more than 300 yards per game. As if things couldn’t get any better, Jackson and Michael Vick, two former Eagles colleagues, are going to face off at Lincoln Financial Field in a clash right out of NFL nostalgia.

Delaware State is no longer an underdog under DeSean Jackson

DeSean Jackson’s arrival at Delaware State was the sort of jolt that a struggling school dreams of. Nobody beyond Dover disagreed with the prediction that the Hornets would finish last in the MEAC. But Jackson did. He stepped into Media Day wearing a DSU polo instead of a formal suit, grinning like a man who has been counted out before because he has. “I love the underdog. I’ve been an underdog my whole life, and I’ve been successful my whole life,” he said. It was a warning. To the rest of the MEAC, critics, and maybe even his locker room and staff, this is a new Delaware State, and the days of being overlooked are gone.

What stands out about Jackson is that he speaks like a player and thinks like a leader. Back in camp, he stated, “We not where we wanna be at, but we climbing.” And that rise has been legit. The players are feeling too. Running back Marquis Gillis and linebacker Brian Bates both mentioned how the locker environment now feels more focused, courageous, and centered upon accountability. Jackson’s message to a team that dropped six games in the fourth quarter of the last season lacked belief. “That’s a mentality thing,” he said. “We’ve been addressing it since day one.”

And now, after just a few months, everything he promised to build is finally taking shape. The same team that was expected to finish last is suddenly leading the MEAC and riding a 5-3 record under the same guy whose job was to blow up defenses. Jackson’s blueprint can be seen in everything from his attitude to his team’s reactions, all built on pride and passion. He said, “When it’s time to line up, put your best up. I’ll put mine up, and let’s get it on.” It’s hard not to believe him. Delaware State is rewriting the story of what happens when an underdog stops listening to the haters and starts believing its own hype.