Cal Sports Report

Former Cal Star DeSean Jackson Named Delaware State Head Coach

Ex-NFL star Jackson becomes head football coach at the FCS school that went 1-11 this season

Jake Curtis

Desean Jackson during his 2007 season at Cal
Desean Jackson during his 2007 season at Cal / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
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Former Cal and NFL wide receiver DeSean Jackson is the new head football coach at Delaware State, the school announced on Friday. Delaware State is an FCS program.

"The opportunity for me to help write another chapter here at DSU is a once-in-a-lifetime moment consistent with my journey as a young boy finding his way to manhood through mentorship, accountability, achievement, and discipline," Jackson said in a statement provided by Delaware State. "If we build that kind of culture at Delaware State University, we will attract the right talent and radically change the trajectory of this program. I cannot wait to get started."

Jackson, 38, spent the 2024 season as an assistant coach at Woodrow Wilson High School in Long Beach, California. But now he will head a Delaware State team that is coming off a 1-11 season and has not had a winning seasn since 2012.

Jackson was one of the most highly rated recruits Cal ever landed, and he played three seasons for the Golden Bears from 2005 to 2007. He finished his college career with 162 receptions for 2,523 yards and 22 receiving ouchdowns. He also rushed for 199 yards and a touchdown.

But his biggest impact came as a punt returner. He returned six punts for touchdowns in his three seasons at Cal and four of those touchdowns came in 2006 as a sophomore. That was his best season at Cal. Besides the four punt returns for touchdowns in 2006, he also had 1,065 receiving yeards and nine touchdown catches that year.

He was a second-round pick in the 2008 NFL draft and played 15 seasons in the NFL. He was named top the Pro Bowl three times and led the league in yards per reception four times.

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Jake Curtis
JAKE CURTIS

Jake Curtis worked in the San Francisco Chronicle sports department for 27 years, covering virtually every sport, including numerous Final Fours, several college football national championship games, an NBA Finals, world championship boxing matches and a World Cup. He was a Cal beat writer for many of those years, and won awards for his feature stories.

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