HBCU Spring Ball: Delaware State Is Building Different
Delaware State University closed its 2026 spring football practice with something it didn’t have a year ago - real depth. And at an HBCU program two years into a culture overhaul, that is not a small thing.
For the first time under head coach DeSean Jackson, the Hornets had enough players to run a full competitive red-versus-blue scrimmage. The energy was there. The competition was there. So was the proof.
“I don’t think we would have been able to do a red versus blue team last year just because we didn’t have the depth,” Jackson said after practice wrapped.
I don’t think we would have been able to do a red versus blue team last year just because we didn’t have the depth.
That single moment tells you everything about where DSU stands heading into fall camp - further along than they were, still building toward where they want to be.
HBCU Culture Building at Delaware State in Year Two
Jackson is clear-eyed about the program’s trajectory. DSU sits at approximately 80 percent of its full roster, according to the head coach. He needs four to five more players before fall - and he’s confident he’ll find them.
“We’re trending in the right direction,” Jackson said. That line came up more than once, and it wasn’t filler. It was a coach who knows exactly how far his program has traveled in 24 months.
The 2025 Delaware State Hornets finished 8-4 and made a run in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. For a first-year head coach at an HBCU rebuilding from scratch, that was a statement. However, Jackson is not satisfied. He spent this spring turning those four losses into teaching film.
“Every game we lost last year, we have teaching methods from that to say, if we’re in that same scenario this year, this we’ll do different,” he said.
That is year-two thinking. Not survival - refinement.
The Quarterback Competition Nobody Has Won Yet
The most compelling storyline coming out of spring ball is the one with no resolution. Delaware State does not have a starting quarterback. Not yet.
Five players are in the mix. Noah Radick transferred in from William & Mary. Mikael Davis is a returning true freshman who has been in the building since day one. Marquis Adams is working his way back from a knee injury. Jay Saray started games in 2025. Freshman Jerry Bali rounds out the group. Jackson has not ruled out adding a sixth option before fall camp opens.
What he is looking for goes beyond arm talent. “I need somebody to come in that can show ownership and take the responsibility of leading,” Jackson said. “You’ve got to be able to read a defense. You’ve got to be confident when you go out to the line of scrimmage.”
DSU runs NFL-style offensive terminology. Therefore, the quarterback who wins this job will need football intelligence to match his physical tools. Jackson also hinted at a potential identity shift - he wants DSU to be a passing team in 2026, a meaningful departure from the run-first attack that defined last season.
According to NCAA official statistics , DSU ranked among the FCS leaders in rushing offense in 2025. Shifting toward the pass is a bold call - and exactly the kind of aggressive program evolution Jackson has signaled since arriving.
Retooling the Back End
The secondary was DSU’s most visible weakness in 2025. Jackson addressed it directly and deliberately. Wayne Favors and Gio Fabian - who missed last season with an injury but practiced throughout - headline a retooled group. Lamont Payne transferred in from Penn State. A group of defensive backs arrived from Virginia State. Eshon Arnold, a ball-hawk from the D2/JUCO level, gives the unit a playmaker mentality in the back end.
“We want hungry, physical people that’s going to be dominant back there,” Jackson said.
The running back room has competition, too. Jaden Jenkins and Kobe Boykin return. Sean Boykins transferred in from Louisville. Deuce Weston, a freshman who flashed last season, is ready for a bigger role. In addition, the MEAC landscape in 2026 sets up as one of the most competitive in recent memory - which means DSU will need contributions across the board, not just from familiar faces.
What Delaware State Is Building Toward
Delaware State is not just rebuilding its roster. It is building its reputation - and recruits are paying attention. ESPN visibility. Primetime games. A young head coach with energy and ambition. Jackson described the appeal directly: players want to come be part of something new, something ascending.
“While I’m here, I’m going to give them all that I have and the best way I can to help change these young men’s lives,” Jackson said.
That is the standard at DSU now. Fall camp will settle the quarterback question. The revamped secondary will face its real test when the lights come on. But one thing is already clear - this HBCU is no longer a program that just shows up. They are a program that expects to win. And Coach Jackson is just getting started.
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This story was originally published April 26, 2026 at 9:44 AM.