Delaware State head coach DeSean Jackson isn’t shying away from the national spotlight.
He hopes the team also embraces it.
Jackson reflected on how his young program is adjusting to life on national stages ahead of another primetime national TV game tonight versus Morgan State at 7 p.m. EST on ESPNU.
“For us, you’ve got to look at where we’ve been. The past two years, these guys haven’t been on a national stage like that,” said Jackson. They won two games in the past two years.”
That recent history, Jackson explained, makes the exposure both exciting and challenging for a roster still learning how to handle the magnitude of newfound attention.
“In all essence, it is a lot of lights, a lot of prime-time attention,” he said. “But I tell my guys all the time, regardless of where you put that ball, it goes the same way. Regardless of what field it’s on, it’s still got to be played between those two white lines.”
Friday will mark the second consecutive standalone college football game for the Hornets. Last Thursday, Delaware State played Norfolk State in Philadelphia in a nationally televised game on ESPNU.
For Jackson, the focus is on preparation and composure—two things he believes are non-negotiable as the Hornets aim to transform from rebuilding to contending within the MEAC for the first-place Hornets.
“If we talk about wanting to be a championship team and rising to the occasion like everybody’s talking about, we have to be prepared and ready to play on these big-time stages,” Jackson said. “I know I’m comfortable in those moments. I just have to get all my guys riled up and ready to go.”
That process, he added, takes time and repetition. The more Delaware State appears in high-profile games, the more natural the environment will feel.
“Hopefully the more we do it, the more we play, the more they’ll settle down and just lock in,” Jackson said. “Sometimes we just get too antsy, too riled up. We’ve just got to calm down and let the game come to us. As simple as that.”
Jackson’s message blends patience with expectation — a reminder that while the lights may be brighter, the game remains the same for his program, hungry to prove itself.
