Halsey finds new home at Delaware State

By Tim Mastro

DOVER — When Wesley College shut down its Division III athletic department this spring, Jerrish Halsey needed a new home and had several suitors.

Division II teams were offering him scholarships. But the junior wide receiver wanted to travel just a few miles up the road in Dover for a Division I opportunity.

Halsey is one of eight former Wolverines who joined Delaware State University’s football team after DSU completed its acquisition of Wesley. He’s off to a solid start with a pair of touchdown catches so far this season as the Hornets (4-4) prepare to face Morgan State tonight in a contest which will be broadcast on ESPN2 at 7:30 p.m.

“All summer I told myself if I work hard I could get there,” Halsey said.

Halsey did not have a scholarship guarantee coming to Delaware State, needing to walk on to earn his spot. But DSU coach Rod Milstead said Halsey is positioned to earn a scholarship for next season.

“He’s one of those kids who was Division I talent who got shuffled out after high school,” Milstead said. “He’s done a phenomenal job for us. When it comes to scholarships, I gotta say something to him cause he’s earned it.”

Halsey has blossomed as Delaware State’s third-leading wide receiver behind seniors Trey Gross and Kwannah Kollie. He’s caught 11 passes so far for 160 yards.

Halsey was Wesley’s top receiver in the final season of the Wolverine program — an abbreviated three-game slate this spring after the 2020 fall season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

He led the Hornets in receptions (12), yards (211) and touchdowns (two). After Wesley’s finale against Christopher Newport, in which Halsey was held to one catch for 14 yards, he set out on finding a new home.

When he ended up on Delaware State’s campus, Halsey said Gross and Kollie took him under their wing.

“They made it easy for me,” Halsey said. “The chemistry keeps getting better and it’s all clicking now. I just wanted to come here and make plays. That’s what I was born to do.”

Another former Wolverine wide receiver, Devin Curry, has three receptions for 73 yards with the Hornets this season. Brandon Bradford, who also came over from Wesley College, has also started six games for the Hornets on the offensive line.

Staff writer Tim Mastro can be reached at tmastro@iniusa.org.

Follow @TimMastroDSN on Twitter.