Former NFL receiver DeSean Jackson is taking over the football program at Delaware State.

The school announced Jackson’s hire Friday in the latest move by a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference program to hire a former NFL star as its football coach. Norfolk State hired Michael Vick last week.

“DeSean Jackson is a perfect fit for our institution — incredibly competitive, optimistic about the prospects for our collective future,” said Tony Tucker, the school’s athletic director.

Jackson, a former Long Beach Poly High standout who served as an assistant coach at Long Beach Wilson High this year, joins a growing list of former NFL stars who have taken over HBCU programs in recent years. Deion Sanders had success at Jackson State before heading to Colorado, and Eddie George guided Tennessee State to the FCS playoffs this year.

“HBCUs have much to be proud of in creating a more representative America. But that story is not simply a historical one. It continues to be written and includes the elevation of HBCU scholars and scholar-athletes in every field of human endeavor,” Jackson said. “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 replaces Lee Hull after the Hornets went 1-11 this season.

Jackson played college football and was an All-American at California, but his NFL career took him through Philadelphia, Washington and Baltimore, three teams in pretty close proximity to Delaware State.

His 15-year NFL career saw him compile 641 receptions for 11,263 yards and 58 touchdowns, and earn Pro Bowl honors three times. He played seven games for the Rams in 2021.

BECK HEADED TO DRAFT

Georgia quarterback Carson Beck on Saturday announced his plans to enter the NFL draft, five days after having season-ending elbow surgery.

Beck, a fifth-year senior, made his NFL plans official on social media.

He suffered a right elbow injury in the first half of the Bulldogs’ 22-19 overtime win over Texas in the SEC title game Dec. 7 in Atlanta.

Beck had surgery on Monday to repair his ulnar collateral ligament in the elbow. He is expected to begin throwing next spring.

He could have returned for a sixth season.

Beck posted on Instagram: “The past five years at the University of Georgia have been nothing short of a dream come true and I will forever cherish the memories that have been made.”

Gunner Stockton, who took over for Beck in the second half against Texas, will start for Georgia on Wednesday in the Sugar Bowl against Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals.

Beck has started every game of the 2023 and 2024 seasons. He was 24-3 as a starter.

He passed for 3,941 yards with 24 touchdowns and only six interceptions in 2023 but had more difficulties with turnovers this season as he passed for 28 TDs with 12 interceptions. He completed 7 of 13 passes for 56 yards before his injury in the SEC title game.

MORA GETS EXTENSION

UConn coach Jim Mora agreed to a two-year contract extension through 2028, the school announced Saturday right before kickoff of the Huskies’ Fenway Bowl game against North Carolina.

Mora, who was 46-30 in six seasons as UCLA’s head coach (2012-17), will earn $10.01 million plus incentives over the next four years, the school said before UConn beat the Tar Heels 27-14 to reach nine wins for the first time since 2007.

The Huskies were playing in their second bowl game in three seasons under Mora, bouncing back from last year’s 3-9 record to post their first winning season since Randy Edsall took them to the Fiesta Bowl in 2010.

“When I first got here, I talked about where we wanted this program to go,” Mora said in the statement that was released moments before kickoff of the Fenway Bowl. “We have shown great progress but we still have plenty of work to do.”

An independent, UConn (9-4) won all of its games against the non-Power Four conferences but, heading into the Fenway Bowl, had lost all of its games against major football programs.