As much as I can’t stand DeSean Jackson — and for good reason — the former Philadelphia Eagles wideout has done a remarkable job turning around the Delaware State University football program. Documentary filmmakers have taken notice.
Indie docuseries Inside the Hornet’s Nest from co-directors Jon Connor and Byron Jackson, DeSean’s brother, is currently in production and soon to be shopped to streamers, The Hollywood Reporter has learned. Wavelength, the producer behind the Andy Kaufman documentary Thank you Very Much and the Fred Rogers documentary Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, is already aboard.
The prescient docuseries has had cameras rolling both inside the locker room and inside the Jackson family (I hear Byron Jackson has an “in”) ever since DeSean Jackson was named head coach of the HBCU’s Hornets.
Despite having no prior collegiate head-coaching experience, DeSean Jackson, the three-time Pro Bowl wide receiver, has led the 1-11 (in back-to-back seasons, no less) Hornets to a current 5-3 record. This past weekend, Delaware State beat North Carolina Central on the road for the first time since 1977, spoiling homecoming weekend. And before Jackson, the Hornets went 707 days between home wins.
Ironically, Jackson’s team is doing it on the ground much more so than through the air: Delaware State currently has the nation’s top rushing offense.
The Hornets went from being ranked dead last in the MEAC preseason poll to first place in the division, and should they win the MEAC Championship Game, the team will head to Atlanta for the aptly-named Celebration Bowl. Standing in their way on Thursday will be a familiar face, however: Jackson’s friend and former Eagles teammate Michael Vick and his Norfolk State. Appropriately, the game will take place at Lincoln Financial Field, where the Eagles play.
“This project hits close to home — literally,” Byron Jackson told THR. “I’ve watched my brother overcome every kind of doubt his whole life, and now I get to document him doing it again, this time as a leader of young men. He’s given us unfettered access to himself and the team from day one. He’s never been one to shy away from mistakes. He treats them as learning opportunities and wants people to feel like they’re getting to ride along on this historic journey. What’s happening at Delaware State is bigger than football. It’s about family, legacy and showing what’s possible when you bet on yourself and the people you believe in.”
“People thought this was a publicity stunt, but we believed this was the start of something historic,” Connor added. “Having Byron alongside his brother from day one has given us a front-row seat not just to a football turnaround, but to a family rewriting history together.”
Connor’s longtime creative partner Cristina Valdivieso serves as producer on Inside the Hornet’s Nest. The duo previously worked with Byron Jackson on the upcoming Go Deep: The DeSean Jackson Story for Amazon. (Notice a theme in Byron’s work?)
Paul Burger will executive produce the docuseries; Dan Bradley and Jon Weidman will act as co-executive producers for Wavelength, with Jenifer Westphal and Joe Plummer serving as executive producers.
