Delaware State football didn’t use the winter signing and transfer portal window to chase headlines across the HBCU landscape. Instead, the Hornets focused on fixing identifiable problems from the 2025 season and positioning their recruits to contribute immediately when spring football begins. Those intentions were reflected in a series of official winter signee announcements shared by Delaware State Football on Instagram, outlining how the program approached the early transfer portal window ahead of the 2026 season.
After an eight-win regular season that showed Delaware State could control games on the ground but still had clear limitations through the air and on the back end, this winter class reflects intentional roster engineering rather than splash recruiting. The approach was measured, targeted, and early—exactly how many HBCU football programs now use the portal.
Why the Winter Window Mattered for Delaware State Football
The numbers from 2025 made the priorities clear for Delaware State.
Delaware State averaged nearly 290 rushing yards per game, but more than 2,000 rushing yards left the program through graduation and the transfer portal. Defensively, the Hornets allowed over 270 passing yards per game and surrendered 26 passing touchdowns, exposing depth and experience issues in the secondary.
For Delaware State football, the winter transfer portal window offered the opportunity to address those roster gaps before spring practice rather than reacting to them late in the offseason—a growing trend across HBCU recruiting.
Quarterback: Stabilizing the Most Important Position
The most consequential winter addition for Delaware State is Noah Brannock, who arrives from William & Mary with real FCS game experience and a clear path to the starting role.
Brannock was not a season-long incumbent starter at William & Mary, but he started games, played meaningful snaps, and operated an offense inside one of the CAA’s most competitive quarterback rooms. That context matters. He enters Dover not as a developmental project, but as a quarterback trusted to run the offense, manage situations, and improve efficiency within a Delaware State football system that already knows how to win on the ground.
Securing clarity at quarterback early allows the rest of the Hornets’ winter additions to slot into defined roles heading into spring football.
Replacing Rushing Production Was Non-Negotiable
Losing James Jones and Marqis Gillis meant replacing production, not simply filling a depth chart.
The additions of Trey Engram (Towson) and Paul Kamdem (College of the Canyons) reflect that urgency. Engram brings FCS experience and reliability as a downhill runner, while Kamdem adds physicality and short-yardage value. Together, they allow Delaware State to maintain its offensive identity while distributing the workload more sustainably.
For Delaware State football, protecting its run-first identity was a recruiting priority—and one clearly addressed during the winter portal window.
The Secondary Was the Defensive Priority
If the run game powered Delaware State’s success, pass defense defined its ceiling.
Delaware State responded by loading up on defensive backs during the winter transfer portal window, adding Kemari Nix (Arkansas State), Jay’Quan Bostic (Bowling Green), Mark Burns (Virginia State), Jason Cole Jr. (Virginia State), Aldrick Stromile (Southern Nazarene), and E’Sean Arnold (Central Georgia Tech).
This was an intentional overcorrection. Graduation and injuries exposed the secondary late in the season, and the winter additions ensure competition, flexibility, and depth across multiple coverage looks. Delaware State didn’t just replace exits—it raised the baseline of the defense.
Quiet Work Up Front Keeps the Identity Intact
Portal classes across HBCU football are often judged by skill players, but Delaware State’s winter work in the trenches may prove just as important.
Additions like Casey Fu’a’u (Troy) and Tyler Hunt (Mississippi Valley State) bring veteran size and experience to an offensive line that leaned heavily on physicality in 2025. On defense, Jalen Williams (Fort Hays State) adds interior depth to a front that needed help controlling early downs.
These additions may not generate buzz, but they often determine whether a Delaware State football season stays on track.
What This Class Really Says About Delaware State and HBCU Recruiting
This winter recruiting class does not attempt to solve every issue at once.
Linebacker depth remains an area to monitor heading into the spring transfer portal window, but the foundation is already in place. By replacing lost production, reinforcing the secondary, and securing stability at quarterback, Delaware State enters spring football focused on refinement rather than survival.
That shift—subtle but significant—is how Delaware State football positions itself to turn momentum into consistency within the evolving HBCU football landscape.