Fifteen years of catching passes and returning punts in the NFL made DeSean Jackson an authority on running a route. But last December, when Delaware State hired Jackson as its head football coach, he knew far less about running a practice or a budget because, to that point, his coaching résumé included all of one season assisting at a Los Angeles-area high school. The role didn’t prepare Jackson for the “million variables” he was soon addressing on campus in Delaware, such as helping players get to class, raise their grades, find housing and sign up for meal plans.

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