Delaware State Hornets
MEACDover, DEAlumni Stadium
2026: 4–3. Last: beat Franklin Pierce 34–0 at home. Next: North Carolina Central, Friday, Oct 23, 5 p.m. ET.
- W 41–34Stony Brook
- L 15–22at William & Mary
- W 21–6Bowie State
- L 17–59at South Florida
- W 33–28Towson
- L 3–28at UAlbany
- W 34–0Franklin Pierce
- Oct 23North Carolina Central
- Oct 31at Norfolk State
- Nov 7Morgan State
- Nov 14at Howard
- Nov 21at South Carolina State
Delaware State has played football since 1924 and is officially 380–491–11; 255 of its 882 games are in our file. They have won six Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference titles (the last in 2007), plus two Middle Atlantic Athletic Association titles, one Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association title, counting shared titles. The most-played rival is Howard: 24 meetings, Delaware State leads 13–11. This season, they’re 4–3.
Résumé
- All-time record
- 380–491–11 official; 89–166 on file; how we count
- Postseason
- 0–0 bowls, title games, playoff
- AP No. 1 finishes
- 0
- Weeks at No. 1
- 0 of 0 ranked
- Elo now
- 1288
- Computer rankings
- Massey No. 83 · Composite No. 78 in FCS, Oct 17; down 4 since Oct 11. From Massey Ratings
- Conference titles
- 9 last in 2007
- Bowl record
- 1–1 official, bowls only
- Seasons
- 25 since 1987, 255 games
2026 season 4–3
RosterFull 2026 season| Date | Opponent | Result | Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 27 | vs Stony Brook | W 41–34 | 52% |
| Sep 5 | at William & Mary | L 15–22 | 35% |
| Sep 12 | vsBowie State | W 21–6 | 80% |
| Sep 19 | at South Florida | L 17–59 | 11% |
| Sep 26 | vs Towson | W 33–28 | 64% |
| Oct 3 | at UAlbany | L 3–28 | 52% |
| Oct 10 | vsFranklin Pierce | W 34–0 | 63% |
| Oct 23 | vs North Carolina Central | Preview | 62% |
| Oct 31 | at Norfolk State | Preview | 50% |
| Nov 7 | vs Morgan State | Preview | 58% |
| Nov 14 | at Howard | Preview | 49% |
| Nov 21 | at South Carolina State | Preview | 28% |
Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.
This season, game by game
On the 2026 team
- Ui Ale1,050 passing yards, 4 TD (leads Delaware State in passing yards)
- Carl Nesmith27 tackles, 5 sacks (leads Delaware State in sacks)
- Kemari Nix39 tackles, 1.5 sacks (leads Delaware State in tackles)
- Andrew Harris31 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 INT
- Jaylin Terzado21 catches, 310 yards, 2 TD (leads Delaware State in receiving yards)
- Lucas Campizta30 tackles
Program strength since 1987
Best seasons everHead coaches
| Coach | Years | Record |
|---|---|---|
| Ben Blacknall | 2003 | 0–6 |
| Butch Posey | 2003 | 1–4 |
Most-played series
All rivalries- Howard
13–11 in 24
- 2017 L 23–52
- 2018 L 13–55
- 2019 L 9–24
- 2020 W 17–10
- 2020 W 37–28
- 2021 W 30–23
- 2022 L 17–35
- 2023 L 10–17
- 2024 L 0–38
- 2025 W 26–13
Won the last one.
Next: Nov 14
- Morgan State
7–15 in 22
- 2015 L 6–26
- 2016 L 17–20
- 2017 W 33–30
- 2018 L 0–9
- 2019 L 3–34
- 2021 L 14–20
- 2022 L 7–37
- 2023 L 17–24
- 2024 L 28–36
- 2025 W 14–12
Won the last one.
Next: Nov 7
- South Carolina State
4–17 in 21
- 2017 W 17–14
- 2018 L 19–30
- 2019 L 24–38
- 2020 L 9–17
- 2020 L 28–31
- 2021 L 7–13
- 2022 W 27–24
- 2023 L 7–35
- 2024 L 35–69
- 2025 L 17–28
Lost the last three.
Next: Nov 21
| Opponent | Games | DSU record |
|---|---|---|
| Howard | 24 | 13–11 |
| Morgan State | 22 | 7–15 |
| South Carolina State | 21 | 4–17 |
| Norfolk State | 19 | 11–8 |
| North Carolina A&T | 16 | 8–8 |
| Hampton | 15 | 4–11 |
| North Carolina Central | 15 | 3–12 |
| Bethune-Cookman | 13 | 5–8 |
Every opponent (60)
Every program Delaware State has played, A to Z, with Delaware State’s record against it. Each links to the series, game by game.
- Akron 1–0
- Army 0–1
- Bethune-Cookman 5–8
- Bowie State 3–1
- Bucknell 0–1
- Buffalo 0–1
- Campbell 0–2
- Central Connecticut 0–2
- Chowan 0–1
- Cincinnati 0–1
- Coastal Carolina 1–2
- Concord 1–0
- Delaware 0–12
- East Tennessee State 0–1
- Elon 0–1
- Florida A&M 4–8 †
- Florida State 0–1
- Franklin Pierce 1–0
- Georgetown 0–1
- Hampton 4–11
- Hawai’i 0–1
- Howard 13–11
- James Madison 0–1
- Kent State 0–3
- Liberty 0–1
- Lincoln (PA) 2–0
- Massachusetts 0–1
- Merrimack 0–3
- Miami (OH) 0–1
- Michigan 0–1
- Missouri 0–0 †
- Monmouth 0–3
- Morgan State 7–15
- Norfolk State 11–8
- North Carolina A&T 8–8
- North Carolina Central 3–12
- North Dakota State 0–1
- Northwestern State 0–2
- Richmond 0–2
- Robert Morris 1–1
- Sacred Heart 1–1
- Saint Francis 2–3
- Savannah State 3–1
- Shaw 1–0
- South Carolina State 4–17
- South Florida 0–1
- Southern 0–1
- Southern Connecticut State 1–0
- Southern Illinois 0–1
- Stony Brook 1–0
- Temple 0–1
- Towson 1–2
- UAlbany 1–1
- Virginia Lynchburg 4–0
- VMI 2–0
- Wagner 1–1
- West Virginia 0–1
- Western Michigan 0–1
- William & Mary 0–1
- Winston-Salem State 2–1
Official records. † Without wins the NCAA vacated, or with forfeits counted. ‡ The rivalry’s own count, where it differs from the games on file.
Conference titles
9, counting shared titles- Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association 1
- 1956 (shared)
- Middle Atlantic Athletic Association 2
- 1934, 1935
As the program counts them in its Wikipedia article, shared titles included, and listed under each conference’s current name (a Western Conference title of the 1900s counts as a Big Ten title); season pages use the name the conference had that year. A title the article files under a conference the team wasn’t in that season is listed under the one it was. Division titles include years the team tied for its division.
Black college football
Black college national titles 1
Who named them
- 2007 10–2: American Sports Wire (Dick Simpson); Dr. Cavil’s Classic Cuts (Jafus Kenyatta Cavil & formerly SWAC Page Network)–Major Division Poll
Black College Football Hall of Fame: 1 inductee from Delaware State.
Black college national champions as Wikipedia’s list gives each season’s selections since 1920 (the black press’s polls, bowls and later media polls; some seasons have several). Black college football history: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).
Conferences
- Independent 1924–1933
- Middle Atlantic Athletic Association 1934–1936
- Independent 1937–1939, 1941–1942 and 1944
- MEAC since 1978
Delaware State’s football conferences by season, from CollegeFootballData.com’s memberships (renamed conferences keep the name of the time).
In the NFL Draft
By college- Drafted, rounds 1–7
- 9 since 1971
- First-round picks
- 0
The school
Delaware State University- Enrollment
- 5,327 4,581 undergraduates, fall 2024
- Where
- Dover, Delaware
- Public or private
- Public Research 2
- Founded
- 1891
- Graduates’ median earnings
- $49,307 10 years after starting
Enrollment, place and Carnegie research tier from the National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS, public domain). Earnings from the US Department of Education’s College Scorecard (CC BY 4.0): the median for students who received federal aid and were working, not in school. Founding year from Wikidata. Every school’s in the data.
Season by season
National champions| Season | Record | Conf. | AP pre | AP final | Coach | Elo | SP+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 4–3 | 1288 | |||||
| 2025 | 8–4 | 4–1 | 1263 | ||||
| 2024 | 1–11 | 0–5 | 999 | ||||
| 2023 | 1–10 | 0–5 | 1047 | ||||
| 2022 | 5–6 | 2–3 | 1139 | ||||
| 2021 | 5–6 | 2–3 | 1167 | ||||
| 2020 | 2–3 | 1157 | |||||
| 2019 | 2–10 | 1–7 | 1068 | ||||
| 2018 | 3–8 | 2–5 | 1144 | ||||
| 2017 | 2–9 | 2–6 | 1044 | ||||
| 2016 | 0–11 | 0–8 | 1006 | ||||
| 2015 | 1–10 | 1–7 | 1044 | ||||
| 2014 | 2–10 | 2–6 | 1083 | ||||
| 2013 | 5–6 | 5–3 | 1236 | ||||
| 2012 | 4–5 | 3–3 | 1224 | ||||
| 2011 | 3–8 | 1–7 | 1128 | ||||
| 2010 | 3–8 | 3–6 | 1221 | ||||
| 2009 | 4–6 | 3–4 | 1301 | ||||
| 2008 | 5–6 | 5–3 | 1328 | ||||
| 2007 | 10–2 | 9–0 | 1430 | ||||
| 2006 | 8–3 | 6–2 | 1371 | ||||
| 2005 | 5–4 | 5–2 | 1290 | ||||
| 2004 | 4–7 | 4–3 | 1176 | ||||
| 2003 | 1–10 | 1–7 | Ben Blacknall, Butch Posey | 1101 | |||
| 1987 | 1–0 | 1341 |
Officially 380–491–11 since 1924 (per Wikipedia, rechecked weekly); game by game here, 89–166 (255 of its 882 games are on file). Our file starts in 1987; the program began in 1924. Some games are missing from our source.
No season on file for 1988–2002: the program may not have played, or our source may be missing them.
Records are computed from every game on file at CollegeFootballData.com, whose coverage of the earliest seasons can be incomplete. Elo is this site’s own rating; see how it works on the records page.