HBCU News – DeSean Jackson’s Delaware State to play Michael Vick’s Norfolk State in Philly

The college football teams of former Eagles DeSean Jackson and Michael Vick will once again face off in Philadelphia later this year.

Delaware State University will return to Lincoln Financial Field on Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026, to face Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference rival Norfolk State University.

The teams played one another on Oct. 30, 2025, in the inaugural HBCU Battle of Legends, which drew 47,266 fans to Lincoln Financial Field.

Delaware State won the inaugural matchup 27-20 and finished the 2025 season with an 8-4 record, the program’s first winning season in more than a decade. The Hornets went 4-1 in MEAC matches and earned a national ranking in the Football Championship Subdivision polls under first-year head coach DeSean Jackson.

Following the season, Jackson was named the Boxtorow HBCU Coach of the Year and received the Tubby Raymond Award from the Delaware Sportswriters and Broadcasters Association.

Norfolk State is led by head coach Michael Vick, who played alongside Jackson with the Philadelphia Eagles from 2009 to 2013. The former NFL teammates entered NCAA Division I head coaching during the same season.

The rematch is expected to headline an expanded weekend of HBCU events at Lincoln Financial Field, including performances by university marching bands, a step show, a fan engagement zone hosted by the Delaware Office of Tourism and a student opportunity fair.

The games will begin Friday, Oct. 30, when Virginia Union University faces Lincoln University. Philadelphia will host family, alumni and fan events as part of One Philly HBCU Week.

The history of historically Black colleges and universities is closely tied to the Philadelphia region. The nation’s two oldest HBCUs — Cheyney University of Pennsylvania, founded in 1837, and Lincoln University, founded in 1854 — are located nearby.

“As a proud Lincoln graduate, I want you to know firsthand that HBCUs don’t just educate – they build the next generation of history makers, of entrepreneurs and public servants,” Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker said. “And we want every young person attending to see themselves with a future, potentially on an HBCU campus, and to know that excellence has a place waiting for them.”

In addition to the HBCU football games at Lincoln Financial, the city will host a multi-day long celebration of the region’s HBCUs, beginning October 27. Included in these events will be the HBCU choir competition and HBCU Battle of the Bands.

Tickets for both games will go on sale Wednesday, August 12 at 10 a.m. at Ticketmaster.com. Official kickoff times and broadcast details will be announced at a later time.