I suspect the same.
I don't know where you are in the craft of making negatives and prints, but there are a few things that you could follow up on and a few simple tests to isolate if the problem is with the exposure, development, or printing.
In your case, I would go backwards and confirm your paper & Dektol first. Just start with a clear section of your developed film (leader or trailer or clear frame), and do a test strip (ask if you haven't been shown this yet), using white light or grade 2 filter, at mid-aperture, so you can determine how long to expose to get good blacks through clear film. It only takes about 5 minutes, but will help you calibrate all of your printing. If you can't get good blacks no matter how long the paper is exposed, then there is a problem likely with the Dektol. Paper doesn't generally fail in that manner -- it may fog, but it will still reach black. The only other common possibility is that you're exposing the paper upside down, but forgive me if I'm insulting your intelligence.
If you can get good blacks through clear film base, then the next thing to look at is the negatives & your exposure and development. The standard procedure for determining 'normal' or 'printable' negatives is the contact sheet, done in a standard way. Contact sheets are dynamite for showing you just exactly how good your negatives are, whether you consistently over or underexpose, and whether you are developing sufficiently for normal contrast. Read how to make a proper contact sheet or ask here. They are powerful when done right, make printing a whole lot more deterministic, save a ton of time, and are pretty quick to do as well. Big ROI on contact sheets.