Delaware State University has its new head football coach.
DSU officials announced Wednesday they have hired Kenneth Carter to take over the program. He replaces Kermit Blount – who was let go at the end of last season.
Carter comes from Youngstown State, where he served as passing game coordinator and coached wide receivers and special teams last year - his first and only year at Youngstown.
Before that he spent 15 years as an assistant at a variety of major college schools, including stints on Charlie Strong’s staff at Louisville and at Florida during Urban Meyer’s tenure with the Gators.
DSU Athletic Director Candy Young says that major college experience was part of the reason the Hornets decided to give Carter his first head coaching opportunity.
“We looked into his background and we saw the schools he had touched and the schools that had touched him and there is so much knowledge he has gained," said Young. "I actually got to talk to some of these people that he worked with and everything they said about him pointed to it’s time [for him to be a head coach] and you’re the right fit for him. So, it was great to hear that echoed – that we had made a great decision.”
But Carter, who played his college ball at The Citadel, says that while he learned a great deal in those major college programs, he is well aware of what he has to work with at an FCS level school like DSU.
"The biggest thing that's going to help me here is coming from Youngstown State to here, and having been at The Citadel and Furman University. Those are the things that are going to help me with the transition more than anything else," said Carter.
Young says Carter was selected from a poll of over 130 applicants from all over the country
"Coach Carter stood out. He definitely stood out," said Carter. "There were a few [strong candidates], but there was something about Coach Carter that kept bringing him to the forefront."
Carter says there are only about 250 Division I head coaching spots and to earn one of them is "truly a blessing." He adds expect a more physical approach from the Hornets with him at the helm.
“Physical football is what makes the difference," said Carter. "You can finesse all day long, but when it comes down to it people are going to wince a little bit and they’re going to change their temperament when physical play is a big part of what you do. You’re going to respect that. You’re going to respect teams that play physical. And we’re going to do that.”
Carter takes over a DSU squad that went 2-10 last season and finished 10th in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC). The program has only winning campaign since its last won the MEAC title in 2007.
He says he’ll also demand excellence in the classroom and in the community, starting with a requirement that all players do 10 hours of community service this spring.