Less than a week after being officially named head coach at Delaware State, former NFL star DeSean Jackson is creating a pipeline from the West Coast to the HBCU.
Jackson, who hails from Los Angeles, has received multiple commits from California since his hire was announced. Travis Clark, who coached with Jackson at Long Beach Wilson High School this past season has been instrumental in securing the commitments.
First there was running back Kobe Boykin, a Los Angeles product who spent last season at Jackson State. Boykin hit the portal over the weekend, and committed to Delaware State shortly after announcing his entry into the portal. Boykin is from Los Angeles.
Boykin was considered a three-star talent, and getting him to jump from the newly-minted HBCU national champion to a team that has won two games in two years.
A few days later Jackson came up with another commit from out west — this time a big man. Offensive lineman Elijah Payne is a 6’7 player who started his career at Arizona. The Las Vegas, Nev. native prepped at Sierra Canyon High School in Chatsworth, Calif. He Played guard and tackle as a member of the 10-5 overall and 4-1 in conference varsity team in 2022. Payne was a three-star prospect with offers from Arizona State, Arkansas, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Miami, Nevada, Oregon, Oregon State, UNLV, and Utah State.
Another commitment came in from former Hawaii running back Derek Boyd, who hails from Crenshaw, CA.
“Today, I proudly commit to Delaware State University, a place where I’ll grow as both an athlete and an individual,” Boyd wrote. “I’m excited to join a program with a rich history, led by hall-of-fame coach DeSean Jackson, whose legacy inspires me to push myself every day.”
Another addition is Tracy Foe Jones, a free safety out of Long Beach Poly High School.
It’s quite clear from his short time at he helm at Delaware State that DeSean Jackson is creating an HBCU pipeline to the west coast — something that has historically been difficult to do. It will be interesting to see how it works out moving forward.
Excited to see the roster DeSean Jackson builds!