When it comes to getting a college head-coaching job, there is one thing becoming very clear: Previous experience is not required.
According to multiple reports on Thursday, including Jeff Lightsy Jr. and ESPN’s Pete Thamel, former NFL wide receiver DeSean Jackson is working on finalizing a contract to become the new head coach at Delaware State University.
It will continue what has become a trade in college football for teams to make big-name hires with former NFL stars who have no prior coaching experience.
Deion Sanders (Jackson State, now Colorado), Eddie George (Tennessee State) and Michael Vick (Norfolk State) are some of the more recent examples.
Ed Reed was also briefly hired at Bethune-Cookman but never actually coached a game when the two sides split ways less than a month after the announcement.
Jackson spent 15 years in the NFL between 2008 and 2022, primarily with the Philadelphia Eagles. He also spent time with Washington, Tampa Bay, Las Vegas, Baltimore and Los Angeles (Rams).
During his career, he was one of the best deep threats in the NFL, catching 641 passes for 11,263 yards and 58 touchdowns. He averaged 17.6 yards per catch for his career and led the league in yards per catch four different times (2010, 2014, 2016 and 2018). He retired following the 2022 season.
How all of that translates to the coaching ranks remains to be seen, but he is going to have his work cut out for him. Delaware State is just 2-21 over the past two seasons and only 7-27 over the past three seasons. Jackson is replacing Lee Hull as head coach after he was dismissed following the 2024 season.
