How Delaware Navigated its FBS Debut — and Why the Blue Hens’ Success Might be Sustainable

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How Delaware Navigated its FBS Debut — and Why the Blue Hens’ Success Might be Sustainable

Kyle Wood

Wed, Feb 25, 2026 ·

6 min read

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Delaware coach Ryan Carty watched one of the biggest games of the year on the couch with his wife. The Blue Hens weren't playing, having already defeated UTEP earlier in the day to get to 6-6. But their ability to keep playing hinged on the outcome of the Iron Bowl.

If Auburn won, the Tigers would be bowl-bound. But if Alabama won, Delaware would snatch up the program's first bowl bid.

That wasn't supposed to be on the table for the Blue Hens, who were undergoing the transition period from the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) to the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), which barred them from postseason competition. But a lack of bowl-eligible teams opened up a path. And now their postseason fate was in the hands of one of college football 's most unpredictable rivalries.

"The way it worked out was poetic, almost," Carty told Athlon Sports. "That crazy back and forth, and all of a sudden, we're the biggest Roll Tide fans that could be."

Alabama won, in typically dramatic fashion, and, in a way, so did Delaware. The Blue Hens earned an invitation to play Louisiana in the 68 Ventures Bowl, where they beat the Ragin' Cajuns to secure their fourth straight winning season under Carty and the first bowl win in program history.

"I was a little surprised in how close we were in competition level," Carty said. "That was the thing that I was worried the most about was: Are we going to be able to hold up for a season playing FBS teams? And we did. We finished the season a little bit better than we started it."

The Delaware Blue Hens are led onto the field by head coach Ryan Carty before Delaware's 44-41 overtime win against UConn at Delaware Stadium, Sept. 13, 2025.© William Bretzger-Delaware News Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Carty, a member of Delaware's 2003 FCS national championship-winning team, called it an up-and-down season for his squad. The Blue Hens went 5-1 at Delaware Stadium but just 1-5 on the road.

After a strong start, which included a win over rival Delaware State , Delaware carried a winning record into November. But things came undone over that final month, between a blowout loss to Liberty, a stunning upset at the hands of Sam Houston and a predictable rout against Wake Forest, which dropped the Blue Hens below .500 heading into the regular-season finale against UTEP.

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Delaware had a chance to back its way into a bowl game with a win. The Blue Hens turned in their best performance of the season and dominated the Miners at home. It was only then that Carty started thinking about postseason possibilities.

"I'm not a guy who looks ahead too much," Carty said. "And so right after the press conference, after we won, I kind of looked over to Ed [LeFurge, Delaware's SID] and to our AD, and I was like, 'All right, what are we waiting for? Who has to win? Who has to lose?'"

Now, Carty can look ahead to 2026 with Delaware's two-year transition complete. Because the Blue Hens began the move in 2024 and were deemed ineligible for the FCS playoffs, they are eligible for the Conference USA Championship Game and bowl season this fall. And with the group that Carty brought back, another postseason appearance could be in order come December.

Quarterback Nick Minicucci is one of six all-conference nominees who is returning, along with his top target, Sean Wilson, and center Steven Domboski. The Blue Hens also bring back their leading rusher, Jo Silver; top tackler, Gavin Moul; and standout safety KT Seay.

"We were coming into a new conference and didn't really know what we were getting into as far as the day-to-day, the week-to-week as far as how we'd match up, how we'd stack up against the rest of the guys in Conference USA and some of the out-of-conference opponents that we had," Carty said. "I think that makes sense that there were some times where we were still trying to figure ourselves out and how we fit and what we were best at in this new brand of football."

That brand was a high-flying, pass-happy offense, which led Conference USA in total offense (411.6 yards per game) and finished second in points per game (29). The problem for the Blue Hens is that their defense was also one of the worst units in the conference. They surrendered the third-most yards (405.3) and second-most points (31) on average.

Delaware quarterback Nick Minicucci shares a hug with head coach Ryan Carty after the Blue Hens' 25-24 win against Louisiana Tech at Delaware Stadium, Nov. 8, 2025.© William Bretzger-Delaware News Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Minicucci threw for the fifth-most passing yards (3,683) of any returning quarterback behind Drew Mestemaker (transferred from North Texas to Oklahoma State ), Darian Mensah (transferred from Duke to Miami), Trinidad Chambliss ( Ole Miss ) and Jayden Maiava (USC), all Heisman Trophy candidates .

Carty prioritized retention over acquisition ahead of the December transfer portal window, and keeping Minicucci on campus was a boon for Delaware. After the season Minicucci had in his first full year as the starter, he surely could have tried his hand in the transfer portal in hopes of landing at a Power 4 program. Instead, he made the increasingly rare decision to stay at the program where he was developed.

"We're always somebody who's gonna worry about the people in our program and in our building first," Carty said. "That's always been my recruiting mentality."

The Blue Hens only took 13 transfers and lost eight players to the portal. That's minimal turnover by recent college football standards.

Carty said overall team speed was a deficiency he wanted to address. Perhaps the addition of wide receiver Bryson Graves (Coastal Carolina) and running back Kaderris Roberts (Bowling Green) in the transfer portal can help on that front.

"There's no doubt explosive plays are what we're built on," Carty said. "And we had less of them than I wanted this year. So we got to continue to increase that."

The Conference USA schedule for 2026 is not yet set, though the Blue Hens have two nonconference trips on the books against Vanderbilt and Virginia in September.

Delaware figures to be among the favorites to win the conference in the fall. And after all that was new in 2025 — competition level, conference and even a unique schedule with CUSA's occasional midweek games and increased travel — the Blue Hens will be on even stronger footing in their second FBS season.

This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Feb 25, 2026, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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