You’d expect a team coached by a former Eagles Wide Receiver to keep increasing the scores. What you wouldn’t expect is a defense that punches people in the mouth every single week. But that is exactly what is happening with DeSean Jackson and his team Delaware State Hornets.

In Week 12, Jackson’s group became the top defense in the HBCU rankings. This is swiftly becoming a dream season for the Hornets. Their 26–13 win over Howard was one of those games where you watch a few drives and are astonished at just how structured that defense is.

The offense did its part; five different Hornets logged at least 21 rushing yards as they rolled up 205 on the ground. That’s right in line with what they’ve been all year: the top rushing team in the FCS at 283.6 yards a game. Marquis Gillis set the tone again with 92 yards on 16 tries. Jayden Sauray and Ryan Pellum Taylor cashed in with short touchdown runs to finish the job.

Despite that offensive performance, the defense made all the headlines. Delaware State’s defensive line choked off the run entirely, holding Howard to just 43 yards on the ground. Wayne Favors III made plays all over the place with three tackles and a pick.

Jadarrius Perkins put together a full stat-line: five stops, a tackle for loss, a sack, an interception, and two pass breakups. Alexander Cossignani hopped on a loose ball to round out the day. Hornets also won the turnover battle, forcing three and giving away only one.

Nine of their 26 points came off those takeaways, a habit that usually separates good teams from the ones still trying to figure it out.

“Our defense is on fire,” said coach DeSean Jackson before the game.

And yes, he was right. Now, Delaware State suddenly finds itself staring at the possibility of its first-ever Celebration Bowl appearance. For a first-year head coach still finding his footing on the sideline, it’s turning into the kind of season people talk about for a long time.

Hornet’s historic run under Jackson

It’s been a remarkably quick turnaround for Delaware State. In year one under DeSean Jackson, the Hornets are now a single win away from something that felt downright impossible not long ago: a trip to the Celebration Bowl in Atlanta on Dec. 13 to play for the Black National Championship.

The Celebration Bowl pairs the MEAC champion with the SWAC champion, and somehow, in a season that felt like a reset for the entire athletic department, Delaware State has muscled its way into that conversation. It’s not just Jackson who’s new to all this, either. Athletic director Tony Tucker is in his first year as well, and he hasn’t been shy about crediting the man on the sideline.

“I’m feeling great about it. I mean, it’s a culture shift, it’s a university shift, and it’s rippling out to the MEAC conference, and also HBCUs. We knew it was going to be a huge impact. I saw early on, when he came in to interview, that he definitely is a coach’s coach,” Tucker said.

To appreciate the weight of all this, you have to remember what Delaware State has been. The program hadn’t posted a winning season since 2012. They went 2–3 in the MEAC in both 2021 and 2022, then bottomed out at 0–5 in 2023 and again in 2024. Years of frustration, false starts, and empty Saturdays made what Jackson is doing now feel almost unthinkable.

Yet, here they are. A contender. A group that suddenly expects to win, and usually does.

“It seems like he’s a 10-year veteran coach. He truly is a student of the game. I knew that it was going to be a really deep and hard impact when he came in. And I think everybody’s seeing that right now,” Tucker added.

Whether they break through and reach the Celebration Bowl or fall just short, Jackson has already altered the trajectory of a program that had been stuck in neutral for more than a decade. Where can Jackson take his team from here?