One of the elite talents in Louisiana football history has returned to his home state to tackle a role: head coach.
Southern introduced Super Bowl champion and Hall-of-Fame running back Marshall Faulk, a New Orleans native and G.W. Carver product, on Monday as the new lead man to its program.
Faulk got into college coaching earlier this year as Colorado’s running backs coach under another legendary former NFL player in Deion Sanders, who just completed his third year leading the Buffaloes and sixth as a college head coach.
“In going home, what I’m going to do is just be authentic and honest with you guys about what this means to me, what we plan to do and what I’m looking forward to,” Faulk said. “So I’ll start with what this means to me. Listen, for me to have my first head coaching job in this state that gave me everything and provided everything for me… it means the world to me to be here. I could not have it be any other way and be any other place than here doing what we’re about to do.
“Because I don’t know if you guys — these colors, and it might be a different rendition, these colors, they’ve been good to me. I feel comfortable with these colors, wearing them. I feel like something great is upon us. So, as I also understand, to whom much is given, much is expected. And as they were talking about what they expect, there’s no fear in me. Winner’s win. That’s it. Winner’s win. And if you’re a winner, then you win. You go out and do what you do. And at every level, somehow, someway, I found a way to find the win. And that’s what we’re gonna do.”
Faulk went from G.W. Carver to San Diego State to a decorated, 12-year NFL career that included a championship, an MVP award, three NFL Offensive Player of the Year honors, seven Pro Bowl and six All-Pro selections along a long list of accolades.
He takes over a program that struggled to a 2-10 record this season under Terence Graves for the first seven games and interim Fred McNair for the final five.
Faulk will be Southern’s fourth “permanent” coach and fifth overall since Dawson Odums left following the 2020 season for the same role at Norfolk State.
But Graves, taking over near the end of the 2023 season, led the Jaguars to a Bayou Classic defeat of in-state SWAC rival Grambling State that year and then an 8-5 overall record and SWAC Championship appearance in 2024.
And, despite a disappointing 2025 overall, McNair and company finished this season on a positive note with a 28-27 comeback win Saturday against the Tigers to claim their fourth straight Bayou Classic and seventh of the past eight.