Cal football is officially searching for its next head coach, and DeSean Jackson is one name that just might surface to replace Justin Wilcox. Jackson just completed a stunning debut season at Delaware State. To be clear: there are no reports that Cal has contacted DeSean Jackson or that he is a candidate. But the job is open, Jackson is a Cal alumnus who played his college football in Berkeley, and his rapid success at an HBCU makes the connection at least worth acknowledging.
Multiple media reports indicate Wilcox is out after after nine seasons, a tenure that ended with a 48–55 overall record and a 1–3 mark in bowl games. His stretch included one breakout year in 2019 — an eight-win season capped by a Redbox Bowl victory — but the Bears never sustained momentum, finishing under .500 in five of the last six seasons.
Meanwhile, Jackson just led Delaware State to an 8–4 season — its best in 18 years — after the program spent more than a decade near the bottom of the HBCU world. It happened fast, too. As Jackson noted during the MEAC coaches call, he took over after the first transfer portal window closed and had to rebuild both the returning roster and the culture almost immediately.
“I’m very focused where I’m present at. Where my feet is…” Jackson told the media last week. “As far as aspirations, obviously, I would love to take it bigger if I could… HBCUs always gonna hold a special place in my heart… If my destiny and my road is somewhere, who knows?”
DeSean Jackson’s Cal connection still evident
And earlier this month, Jackson appeared on First Take wearing a jacket prominently featuring a Cal patch — a subtle reminder of his Berkeley roots at a moment when one of college football’s major jobs has just opened.
Again, there is no evidence that DeSean Jackson is involved in the Cal search. But after delivering one of the best turnarounds anywhere in FCS football — and doing it in his first year — it’s clear that doors will open for him sooner rather than later.
For now, Jackson says his feet are planted firmly at Delaware State. The national coaching carousel, however, tends to move quickly when coaches prove they can build winners overnight.