Delaware State has added an experienced quarterback to an already crowded competition less than a month before the 2026 HBCU football season begins.
Former Coastal Carolina quarterback Samari Collier announced Friday on Instagram that he has committed to Delaware State. His commitment graphic showed Collier in a Hornets uniform alongside head coach DeSean Jackson. Collier kept his message brief: “Last Ride The Best Ride ?.”
The timing makes the move significant. Collier isn’t arriving in January with an offseason to learn Delaware State’s system. He joins the Hornets during August camp after playing eight games at the FBS level last season and accounting for 14 touchdowns at Coastal Carolina.
For an HBCU football program coming off an 8-4 season, Collier brings another experienced option to a quarterback competition that Jackson intentionally left open throughout the offseason. Delaware State now has to determine whether that experience can translate quickly enough to matter in 2026.
Collier gives Delaware State another running threat
Collier brings a different résumé than most quarterbacks entering the competition. The 6-foot-2, 232-pound quarterback completed 38 of 78 passes for 489 yards at Coastal Carolina last season, throwing seven touchdowns against two interceptions.
His biggest production came on the ground. Collier carried 71 times for 429 yards and seven touchdowns, averaging 6.0 yards per attempt. That gave him 918 yards of total offense and 14 touchdowns despite playing only part of Coastal Carolina’s season, according to his official Coastal Carolina biography.
Against Georgia State, Collier showed how disruptive that combination could become. He completed 11 of 18 passes for 120 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 123 yards and another score. His performance included an 85-yard touchdown run as Coastal Carolina won 40-27 to become bowl eligible.
For Delaware State, the running ability fits an offense that already established itself on the ground. The Hornets led the FCS in rushing during Jackson’s first season at Delaware State, an identity that helped produce a dramatic turnaround from 1-11 to 8-4.
Collier’s arrival, however, shouldn’t automatically mean Delaware State plans to repeat the same offense. Jackson spent the spring discussing what he wanted to see change at quarterback and in the passing game.
Delaware State wants something different from its quarterback
Delaware State wants to throw the football more effectively in 2026, and finding a quarterback capable of commanding that offense remained one of its biggest offseason questions.
The Hornets entered spring practice with five quarterbacks competing for the job: Noah Radick, Mikael Davis, Marquis Adams, Jayden Sauray and freshman Jerry Bali. Jackson hadn’t selected a starter and hadn’t ruled out adding another quarterback before the season.
Collier appears to be that addition. More importantly, Jackson had already explained what Delaware State needed from whoever eventually won the job.
“I need somebody to come in that can show ownership and take the responsibility of leading,” Jackson said during spring practice. “You’ve got to be able to read a defense. You’ve got to be confident when you go out to the line of scrimmage.”
That requirement makes Collier’s passing numbers worth examining alongside his rushing production. His 48.7 percent completion percentage at Coastal Carolina leaves a legitimate question about consistency through the air.
Delaware State also uses NFL-style offensive terminology, according to Jackson. Collier must absorb that system while competing against quarterbacks who have spent considerably longer learning it. That’s a difficult August assignment regardless of his résumé, and it makes the next few weeks of camp important for determining his immediate role.
Collier has taken the long route to Delaware State
Collier’s college career has already included several stops. The DeSoto, Texas, product originally signed with Illinois as a three-star recruit.
His Illinois recruiting biography listed him as the No. 31 dual-threat quarterback nationally by 247Sports and No. 33 by ESPN. He redshirted during the 2021 season before his career eventually took him elsewhere.
Collier later landed at Hutchinson Community College, where he found both playing time and team success. He helped Hutchinson capture the 2024 NJCAA Division I national championship while generating 1,977 yards of total offense and accounting for 29 touchdowns. He also earned honorable mention NJCAA All-America recognition.
His performance in the championship game showed another piece of what he can provide. Collier rushed for 109 yards and a touchdown while passing for another score in Hutchinson’s 28-23 national championship victory over Iowa Western.
Coastal Carolina became the next stop before Collier committed to Delaware State. He now brings experience from the Big Ten, junior college football and the Sun Belt into an HBCU football program facing considerably different expectations than it did one year ago.
The stakes have changed at Delaware State
Jackson inherited a program coming off a 1-11 season. Delaware State responded by going 8-4 overall and 4-1 in MEAC play during his first year, moving quickly from rebuilding project to conference contender.
That turnaround changed the conversation surrounding the program. Jackson subsequently signed an extension through 2028, while Delaware State entered the offseason trying to build on its breakthrough rather than simply prove the rebuild could work.
The conference has noticed, too. Delaware State received two first-place votes and was picked third in the 2026 MEAC preseason poll with 40 points. Defending champion South Carolina State led the poll with 49 points, followed by North Carolina Central with 42.
That means Delaware State enters Jackson’s second season without the benefit of being overlooked. Quarterback remains one of the biggest variables in determining whether the Hornets can handle those expectations and challenge for the MEAC championship.
Collier’s commitment doesn’t settle that competition. Delaware State hasn’t announced him as its starter, and there is no reason to assume the job belongs to him before he establishes himself in camp. His résumé, however, makes him difficult to dismiss as ordinary August depth.
He has played FBS football, won a junior college national championship and produced with his arm and legs. Now Collier has only a few weeks to learn Delaware State’s offense and show Jackson he can command it. The Hornets spent the offseason searching for the quarterback who could take their next step with them, and Collier has made that competition considerably more interesting.