2025 Delaware State Hornets football team

2025 Delaware State Hornets football
2025 Delaware State Hornets football
Conference	Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
Record	3–2 (0–0 MEAC)
Head coach	DeSean Jackson (1st season);
Offensive coordinator	Nyema Washington (1st season)
Defensive coordinator	Brandon Blackmon (1st season)
Home stadium	Alumni Stadium
	Seasons ← 2024 2026 →

Last updated September 28, 2025

2025 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
Delaware State	0	–	0	3	–	2
Howard	0	–	0	3	–	2
North Carolina Central	0	–	0	3	–	2
Morgan State	0	–	0	2	–	3
South Carolina State	0	–	0	2	–	3
Norfolk State	0	–	0	1	–	4

As of September 28, 2025 Rankings from STATS Poll

The 2025 Delaware State Hornets football team represents Delaware State University as a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) during the 2025 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Hornets are led by first-year head coach DeSean Jackson ^[1] and play at Alumni Stadium in Dover, Delaware.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
August 28	7:00 p.m.	at Delaware *	Delaware Stadium Newark, DE (Route 1 Rivalry)	ESPN+	L 17–35	17,895
September 6	1:00 p.m.	Albany *	Alumni Stadium Dover, DE	ESPN+	W 37–32	4,506
September 13	3:00 p.m.	Bowie State *	Alumni Stadium Dover, DE	ESPN+	W 36–14	2,205
September 20	1:00 p.m.	at Saint Francis *	DeGol Field Loretto, PA	NEC Front Row	W 39–10	2,007
September 27	12:00 p.m.	at Sacred Heart *	Campus Field Fairfield, CT	ESPN+	L 31–35
October 4	1:00 p.m.	at Monmouth *	Kessler Stadium West Long Branch, NJ	FloSports
October 11	12:00 p.m.	Southern Connecticut *	Alumni Stadium Dover, DE	ESPN+
October 25	1:00 p.m.	at North Carolina Central	O'Kelly–Riddick Stadium Durham, NC	ESPN+
October 30	7:00 p.m.	vs. Norfolk State	Lincoln Financial Field Philadelphia, PA	ESPNU
November 7	7:00 p.m.	at Morgan State	Hughes Stadium Baltimore, MD	ESPN2 or ESPNU
November 15	1:00 p.m.	Howard	Alumni Stadium Dover, DE	ESPN+
November 22	1:00 p.m.	South Carolina State	Alumni Stadium Dover, DE	ESPN Network
*Non-conference game Homecoming All times are in Eastern time

^[2]

Game summaries

at Delaware (FBS, Route 1 Rivalry)

Game One – Delaware State Hornets (0–0) at Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens (FBS) (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Hornets	0	3	7	7	17
Fightin' Blue Hens (FBS)	0	14	7	14	35

at Delaware Stadium • Newark, Delaware

Date: August 28
Game time: 7:00 p.m. EDT
Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 76 °F (24 °C)
Game attendance: 17,895
Referee: Rory Bernard
TV announcers (ESPN+): Scott Klatzkin (play-by-play) and Fritz Stueber (analyst)

Game information

First quarter

No scoring plays.

Second quarter

DSU – Patrick Fisher-Butler 40-yard field goal, 6:46. Hornets 3–0. Drive: 13 plays, 50 yards, 6:12.
DEL – Nick Minicucci 8-yard run (Nate Reed kick), 3:44. Blue Hens 7–3. Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 3:02.
DEL – Kyre Duplessis 4-yard pass from Nick Minicucci (Nate Reed kick), 0:33. Blue Hens 14–3. Drive: 11 plays, 77 yards, 2:07.

Third quarter

DSU – Kaiden Bennett 23-yard run (Patrick Fisher-Butler kick), 10:29. Blue Hens 14–10. Drive: 11 plays, 75 yards, 4:31.
DEL – Ja'Carree Kelly 9-yard pass from Nick Minicucci (Nate Reed kick), 7:15. Blue Hens 21–10. Drive: 7 plays, 34 yards, 3:01.

Fourth quarter

DEL – Kahlil Ali 45-yard interception return (Nate Reed kick), 10:44. Blue Hens 28–10.
DSU – Marquis Gillis 39-yard pass from Kaiden Bennett (Patrick Fisher-Butler kick), 8:10. Blue Hens 28–17. Drive: 6 plays, 76 yards, 2:25.
DEL – Jake Thaw 50-yard pass from Nick Minicucci (Nate Reed kick), 6:15. Blue Hens 35–17. Drive: 5 plays, 60 yards, 1:55.

Statistics	DSU	DEL
First downs	21	26
Total yards	349	409
Rushing yards	200	137
Passing yards	149	272
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	13–26–2	31–44–0
Time of possession	31:53	28:07

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Delaware State	Passing	Kaiden Bennett	11/23, 135 yards, TD, INT
	Rushing	Marquis Gillis	17 carries, 123 yards
	Receiving	Marquis Gillis	3 receptions, 46 yards, TD
Delaware	Passing	Nick Minicucci	28/36, 251 yards, 3 TD
	Rushing	Nick Minicucci	9 carries, 44 yards, TD
	Receiving	Jake Thaw	7 receptions, 92 yards, TD

Albany

Albany Great Danes (0–1) vs. Delaware State Hornets (0–1) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Great Danes	14	6	0	12	32
Hornets	14	0	10	13	37

at Alumni Stadium • Dover, DE

Date: September 6
Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 89 °F (32 °C) • Wind: SW at 12 miles per hour (19 km/h)
Game attendance: 4,506
Referee: Javarro Edwards
TV announcers (ESPN+): Rodger Wyland (play-by-play) & Michael Johnson Jr. (analyst)

Game information

First Quarter

ALB – Tavahri Groves 75-yard pass from Jack Shields (James Bozek kick), 14:18. Great Danes 3–0. Drive: 2 plays, 75 yards, 0:42
DSU – Kaiden Bennett 19-yard run (Patrick Fisher-Butler kick), 8:15. Hornets 7–3. Drive: 6 plays, 80 yards, 1:32.
ALB – Jack Shields 1-yard run (James Bozek kick), 7:16. Great Danes 14–7. Drive: 13 plays, 50 yards, 6:12.
DSU – Kaiden Bennett 37-yard run (Patrick Fisher-Butler kick), 1:10. Tied 14–14. Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 3:14.

Second Quarter

ALB – Caden Burti 75-yard pass from Jack Shields (kick failed), 1:03. Great Danes 20–14. Drive: 10 plays, 71 yards, 4:12

Third Quarter

DSU – Marquis Gillis 26-yard run (Patrick Fisher-Butler kick), 12:00. Hornets 21–20. Drive: 7 plays, 68 yards, 2:50.
DSU – Patrick Fisher-Butler 34-yard field goal, 4:46. Hornets 24–20. Drive: 13 plays, 50 yards, 6:12.

Fourth Quarter

DSU – Sean Weston 7-yard run (Patrick Fisher-Butler kick), 9:21. Hornets 31–20. Drive: 16 plays, 86 yards, 7:23.
ALB – Tavahri Groves 17-yard pass from Jack Shields (pass failed), 8:03. Hornets 31–26. Drive: 4 plays, 75 yards, 1:18
ALB – Steven Mahar Jr. 7-yard pass from Jack Shields (pass failed), 4:38. Great Danes 32–31. Drive: 3 plays, 13 yards, 1:31
DSU – Kaiden Bennett 27-yard run (pass failed), 0:34. Hornets 37–32. Drive: 14 plays, 72 yards, 4:04

Statistics	ALB	DSU
First downs	18	30
Total yards	431	548
Rushing yards	101	371
Passing yards	330	177
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	21–35–0	19–29–0
Time of possession	24:50	35:10

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Albany	Passing	Jack Shields	21/35, 330 yards, 4 TD
	Rushing	Jojo Uga	8 carries, 41 yards
	Receiving	Tavahri Groves	3 receptions, 131 yards, TD
Delaware State	Passing	Kaiden Bennett	17/26, 141 yards
	Rushing	Marquis Gillis	23 carries, 123 yards, TD
	Receiving	Nathan Stewart	3 receptions, 39 yards

Bowie State (DII)

Bowie State Bulldogs (DII) (1–0) vs. Delaware State Hornets (1–1) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bulldogs (DII)	7	0	0	7	14
Hornets	21	9	6	0	36

at Alumni Stadium • Dover, DE

Date: September 13
Game time: 3:00 p.m. EDT
Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 79 °F (26 °C) • Wind: E at 6 miles per hour (9.7 km/h)
Game attendance: 2,205
Referee: Toby Johnson
TV: ESPN+

Game information

First Quarter

(14:23) DSU – Phillippe Wesley 64-yard pass from Kaiden Bennett, Patrick Fisher-Butler kick (Drive: 2 plays, 65 yards, 0:37; Delaware State 7–0)
(12:04) DSU – NyGhee Lolley 58-yard run, Patrick Fisher-Butler kick (Drive: 4 plays, 71 yards, 1:18; Delaware State 14–0)
(9:29) BSU – Antwain Banks 8-yard pass from Malakai Anthony, Chris Coleman kick (Drive: 7 plays, 37 yards, 2:27; Delaware State 14–7)
(2:30) DSU – Kyree Benton 20-yard pass from Kaiden Bennett, Patrick Fisher-Butler kick (Drive: 10 plays, 13 yards, 3:07; Delaware State 21–7)

Second Quarter

(8:35) DSU – Kyree Benton 20-yard pass from Kaiden Bennett, Patrick Fisher-Butler kick (Drive: 4 plays, 33 yards, 1:22; Delaware State 28–7)
(5:21) DSU – Jadarrius Perkins 0-yard safety (Drive: 1 play, -2 yards, 0:08; Delaware State 30–7)

Third Quarter

(10:50) DSU – Kaiden Bennett 24-yard run (Drive: 7 plays, 55 yards, 2:50; Delaware State 36–7)

Fourth Quarter

(11:00) BSU – Micah Robinson 21-yard run, Chris Coleman kick (Drive: 15 plays, 80 yards, 7:12; Delaware State 36–14)

Statistics	BSU	DSU
First downs	20	21
Total yards	382	472
Rushing yards	206	278
Passing yards	176	194
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	28–46–0	18–35–0
Time of possession	29:59	30:01

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Bowie State	Passing	Malakai Anthony	16/30, 114 yards, TD
	Rushing	Micah Robinson	11 carries, 92 yards, TD
	Receiving	Joseph Towler	9 receptions, 63 yards
Delaware State	Passing	Kaiden Bennett	17/29, 179 yards, 2 TD
	Rushing	James Jones	8 carries, 100 yards
	Receiving	Phillippe Wesley	6 receptions, 71 yards, TD

at Saint Francis (PA)

Delaware State Hornets (2–1) vs. Saint Francis Red Flash (0–3) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Hornets	13	13	0	13	39
Red Flash	0	3	7	0	10

at DeGol Field • Loretto, PA

Date: September 20
Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
Game weather: Sunny
Game attendance: 2,007
Referee: Travis Barta
TV announcers (NEC Front Row): Pat Farabaugh (play-by-play) and Jay Roberts (analyst)

Game information

First Quarter

(7:23) DSU – Marquis Gillis 3-yard run (Drive: 14 plays, 65 yards, 5:31; Delaware State 6–0)
(0:13) DSU – James Jones 1-yard run, Patrick Fisher-Butler kick (Drive: 11 plays, 73 yards, 4:53; Delaware State 13–0)

Second Quarter

(13:48) DSU – James Jones 90-yard run, Patrick Fisher-Butler kick (Drive: 1 play, 90 yards, 0:12; Delaware State 20–0)
(9:49) SFU – Mac Plummer 25-yard field goal (Drive: 8 plays, 56 yards, 3:52; Delaware State 20–3)
(0:48) DSU – Dasheen Jackson 1-yard run (Drive: 11 plays, 69 yards, 3:48; Delaware State 26–3)

Third Quarter

(9:26) SFU – Kameron Chisholm 1-yard pass from Nick Whitfield Jr., Mac Plummer kick (Drive: 8 plays, 51 yards, 4:37; Delaware State 26–10)

Fourth Quarter

(1:37) DSU – Kaiden Bennett 21-yard run, Patrick Fisher-Butler kick (Drive: 9 plays, 80 yards, 4:30; Delaware State 33–10)
(0:00) DSU – Kaiden Bennett 1-yard run (Drive: 6 plays, 22 yards, 1:23; Delaware State 39–10)

Statistics	DSU	SFPA
First downs	23	16
Total yards	384	333
Rushing yards	292	62
Passing yards	92	271
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	8–21–1	26–36–2
Time of possession	32:04	27:16

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Delaware State	Passing	Kaiden Bennett	8/21, 92 yards, INT
	Rushing	James Jones	8 carries, 137 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Kyree Benton	1 reception, 39 yards
Saint Francis (PA)	Passing	Nick Whitfield Jr.	26/36, 271 yards, TD, 2 INT
	Rushing	Nick Whitfield Jr.	6 carries, 28 yards
	Receiving	Brenden Hodge	9 receptions, 131 yards

at Sacred Heart

Delaware State Hornets (3-1) vs. Sacred Heart Pioneers (3-1) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Hornets	-	-	-	-	0
Pioneers	-	-	-	-	0

at Campus Field • Fairfield, CT

Date: September 27
Game time: 12:00 p.m. EDT
TV: ESPN+

Statistics	DSU	SHU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Delaware State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Sacred Heart	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at Monmouth

Delaware State Hornets (3-2) vs. Monmouth Hawks (3-1) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Hornets	-	-	-	-	0
Hawks	-	-	-	-	0

at Kessler Stadium • West Long Branch, NJ

Date: October 4
Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
TV: FloSports

Statistics	DSU	MONM
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Delaware State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Monmouth	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Southern Connecticut (DII)

Southern Connecticut Owls (DII) (0-0) vs. Delaware State Hornets (0-0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Owls (DII)	-	-	-	-	0
Hornets	-	-	-	-	0

at Alumni Stadium • Dover, DE

Date: October 11
Game time: 12:00 p.m. EDT
TV: ESPN+

Statistics	SCSU	DSU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Southern Connecticut	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Delaware State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at North Carolina Central

Delaware State Hornets (0-0) vs. North Carolina Central Eagles (0-0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Hornets	-	-	-	-	0
Eagles	-	-	-	-	0

at O'Kelly–Riddick Stadium • Durham, NC

Date: October 25
Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
TV: ESPN+

Statistics	DSU	NCCU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Delaware State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
North Carolina Central	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

vs. Norfolk State

Norfolk State Spartans (0-0) vs. Delaware State Hornets (0-0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Spartans	-	-	-	-	0
Hornets	-	-	-	-	0

at Lincoln Financial Field • Philadelphia, PA

Date: October 30
Game time: 7:00 PM EDT
TV: ESPNU

Statistics	NORF	DSU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Norfolk State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Delaware State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at Morgan State

Delaware State Hornets (0-0) vs. Morgan State Bears (0-0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Hornets	-	-	-	-	0
Bears	-	-	-	-	0

at Hughes Stadium • Baltimore, MD

Date: November 7
Game time: 7:00 PM EDT

Statistics	DSU	MORG
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Delaware State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Morgan State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Howard

Howard Bison (0-0) vs. Delaware State Hornets (0-0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bison	-	-	-	-	0
Hornets	-	-	-	-	0

at Alumni Stadium • Dover, DE

Date: November 15
Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
TV: ESPN+

Statistics	HOW	DSU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Howard	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Delaware State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

South Carolina State

South Carolina State Bulldogs (0-0) vs. Delaware State Hornets (0-0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bulldogs	-	-	-	-	0
Hornets	-	-	-	-	0

at Alumni Stadium • Dover, DE

Date: November 22
Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT

Statistics	SCST	DSU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
South Carolina State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Delaware State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Offseason

Transfers

Outgoing

Player	Position	Destination
BJ Wagner	S	Arkansas State
Kahleef Jimmison	DB	Norfolk State
Erik Sanchez	RB	Saint Francis
Kristian Tate	WR	Troy
Ebubedike Nnabugwu	OL	Unknown
Larrey Williams III	DB	Unknown
Marquise Brunson	DL	Unknown
Amir Anderson	DB	Unknown
Christian Garrett	ATH	Unknown
Ej Core	TE	Unknown
Malcolm Jefferies	TE	Unknown
Joseph Maxwell III	OL	Unknown
Geo Fabian	DB	Unknown
Marqui Adams	QB	Unknown
Brian Bates Jr.	LB	Unknown
Isaiah Cook	OL	Withdrawn

Incoming

Player	Position	Previous school
Quinten Johnson	EDGE	UCF
Elijha Payne	OL	Arizona
Derek Boyd	LB	Hawaii
Rodney Leaks	OL	Houston Christian
Kobe Boykin	RB	Jackson State
Antonio Gates Jr.	WR	Michigan State
Alexander Cobbs	DE	San Jose State
Jason Stone	WR	Thiel

^[3]^[4]^[5]^[6]

References

↑ "NFL Great DeSean Jackson Named Head Football Coach at Delaware State University". dsuhornets. December 27, 2024. Retrieved February 9, 2025.
↑ "2025 Delaware State Football Schedule". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved February 9, 2025.
↑ "2025 FCS-to-FCS Transfers". herosports.
↑ "2025 FBS-to-FCS Transfers". herosports.
↑ "2025 FCS-to-FBS Transfers". herosports.
↑ "Delaware State Hornets 2025 College Football Transfer Portal". 247Sports.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[1] "NFL Great DeSean Jackson Named Head Football Coach at Delaware State University". dsuhornets. December 27, 2024. Retrieved February 9, 2025.

[2] "2025 Delaware State Football Schedule". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved February 9, 2025.

[3] "2025 FCS-to-FCS Transfers". herosports.

[4] "2025 FBS-to-FCS Transfers". herosports.

[5] "2025 FCS-to-FBS Transfers". herosports.

[6] "Delaware State Hornets 2025 College Football Transfer Portal". 247Sports.

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[4]

[5]

[6]

v t e Delaware State Hornets football
Venues	Soldier's Field (1924–1956) Dover Baseball Park (alternative) Alumni Stadium (1957–present)
Bowls & rivalries	Delaware: Route 1 Rivalry
Culture & lore	Hornet The Approaching Storm 1980 Portland State game
People	Head coaches NFL draftees
Seasons	1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025

2025 Delaware State Hornets football team

Contents

Schedule

Game summaries

at Delaware (FBS, Route 1 Rivalry)

Albany

Bowie State (DII)

at Saint Francis (PA)

at Sacred Heart

at Monmouth

Southern Connecticut (DII)

at North Carolina Central

vs. Norfolk State

at Morgan State

Howard

South Carolina State

Offseason

Transfers

Outgoing

Incoming

References