DeSean Jackson says Delaware State still rebuilding after breakout season

An 8-4 season usually buys some certainty. DeSean Jackson left Delaware State’s spring finale talking about unfinished business instead, and that is the contradiction shaping the Hornets heading into year two of his program. After the Blue-Red game closed spring practice, Jackson said he liked the response he got from his team, but he also made clear that the Hornets are still a work in progress after last year’s breakthrough and the offseason turnover that followed it.

Jackson put a number on that uncertainty: the roster, in his view, is about 80 percent complete. He expects more additions in the coming weeks and into the summer, a sign that Delaware State is still building through the transfer portal era even after showing real progress last fall. Jackson described spring as a time to evaluate more than personnel. It was also a test of identity, discipline and the weekly consistency he believes separates a good season from a special one.

The biggest on-field question remains at quarterback. Jackson said the staff has not named a starter, and the competition includes returners Jayden Sauray and Mikal Davis, along with Marqui Adams, who missed all of last season with a knee injury, and William & Mary transfer Noah Brannock. That depth is one of the clearest changes from a year ago, when Delaware State had fewer options and less flexibility. Jackson said the Hornets were even able to stage a hard-fought intrasquad scrimmage, something he did not think would have been possible a season earlier.

That growth in numbers has also opened the door to a broader offensive discussion. Delaware State’s rushing attack was among the best in FCS football last season, but Jackson suggested the 2026 offense could look different depending on how the quarterback room settles. He said the run game should remain a strength, yet he left room for a more balanced or even more pass-oriented approach if the personnel pushes the staff in that direction.

For Jackson, the spring game was not a finish line. It was a checkpoint in a larger reset, with the Hornets moving from culture-building into refinement. After an 8-win breakthrough, Delaware State now has to prove it can turn momentum into permanence, and the next wave of roster additions will go a long way toward showing whether this is a rise or the start of another rebuild.