DeSean Jackson had a tremendous 15-year career in the NFL, most notably for his six years with the Philadelphia Eagles or before that as one of the most electric college players of his generation with the California Golden Bears. After he was hired as the head coach at Delaware State, fans were quick to give their instant reactions.
DeSean Jackson Secures Head Coaching Job, Follows Path of Former NFL Players
On Friday, Jackson was announced as the next head coach of the Delaware State Hornets. Jackson is following in the footsteps of multiple former NFL retirees who have made the transition to assuming a head coaching position.
Delaware State, an HBCU, competes in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC). Just last week, Norfolk State of the MEAC hired former NFL quarterback Michael Vick as its head coach.
This, however, isn’t a new trend, as in 2021, Tennessee State hired 1995 Heisman Trophy winner Eddie George as its head football coach. He’s since led them to a 24-22 record, reaching the FCS playoffs in 2024.
But where it first began truly is with Deion Sanders.
In Sept. 2020, the Jackson State Tigers hired the former All-Pro Sanders to lead their program. From the beginning, he transformed the Tigers into an HBCU power.
Inheriting a 4-3 squad (due to the shortened COVID-19 year), Coach Prime led Jackson State to an 11-2 season. A 12-1 season followed in 2022 before he jetted off to Boulder to help rebuild the Colorado Buffaloes, fresh off a 1-11 season.
Coach Prime has shown his leadership and recruiting skills at multiple levels; he did just that at Colorado. Going 4-8 in his first season, the Buffaloes leaped to a 9-3 regular-season record in Year 2 with a chance to make it a 10-win season in their bowl game.
Jackson will try to emulate that exact recipe.
Delaware State is coming off of a 1-11 campaign of its own in 2024; they were outscored 408-212, including two games in which they failed to score a point.
The fan reaction was to be expected. With Sanders in the spotlight in recent years, and Vick and Jackson announcing their hirings recently, the trend is easy to see — along with the criticism that may come with it.
One X user said, “Everybody wanna be Prime now.”
But is that a bad thing?
Jackson has a decorated NFL résumé, including three Pro Bowl selections. He ranks 40th all-time in receiving yards with 11,263 while producing 66 touchdowns. A member of six teams, he excelled most with Vick and the Philadelphia Eagles.
Like Sanders, Jackson wore his emotions on his sleeves with a flamboyant, at times arrogant, play style. Despite that, Sanders has proven to be a tremendous leader of men, with rave reviews from players of his coaching style.
In the pros, Jackson was coached by strong leaders in Andy Reid and John Harbaugh. That enough would get him in the door to a coaching interview, due to the learning opportunities he’s had over the years.
Clearly, Delaware State liked what they saw in Jackson, handing him the keys to the program.
It’s likely the questions and criticism will continue until Jackson shows he can be the man for the job. But with continued success from these former NFLers, don’t be surprised to see more and more former players make the transition to the college game looking to give back to the game of football.
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