Marshall Faulk stood at a podium in Birmingham on Wednesday and did something he’s never done before. He talked like a head coach, not a Hall of Fame running back. And the difference was subtle but real.
This was Faulk’s first SWAC Media Day since taking over at Southern University. The Jaguars went 2-8 last season. They fired Terrence Graves after 1-6. Fred McNair finished the year as interim. Then Faulk, a Louisiana native and one of the best to ever carry a football, decided this was the place.
He didn’t take the job for the glory. That part of his life is settled, with a gold jacket and a bust in Canton to prove it. He took it because of what Louisiana did for him.
“Impact is everything,” Faulk said on ESPN+. “When you decide to become a head coach, you’re going to impact kids’ lives. When I think about how I was impacted and what happened for me, it happened in the state of Louisiana.”
His reasoning was simple and direct. If he was going to mentor young men and help them get where they want to go, there wasn’t a better place to do it than his home state. Southern needed a coach. He was available. Athletic director Roman Banks had reached out before and it didn’t work out. This time it did.
Growing up on SWAC football
Faulk’s connection to the SWAC isn’t something he had to study up on. He lived it. His football camps growing up were at Grambling and Southern. Doug Williams was his hero before he became his friend.
“SWAC football, to me, is what I grew up on,” he told Louisiana First News.
And he sees the conference’s role in developing NFL talent as something that needs to continue, not fade. Too many players at HBCUs get overlooked. Faulk wants to change that.
“We want to continue that and make sure these young men have the opportunity that everybody has in college,” he said. “Because we know that if you look at the landscape, a lot of them don’t get a chance to play. They don’t get looked at. But when they do, they stick, they stay, and they turn into something amazing at the next level.”
The rebuild is real
Southern got picked fifth in the SWAC West preseason poll. That makes sense given last season. But Faulk isn’t panicking. Camp starts in a couple weeks. He likes where the team is physically, even if he’d prefer to be further along.
“We feel good about where we’re at right now,” he said. “We’d love to be a lot further ahead but we’re not, but we have some time.”
The thing he keeps coming back to isn’t wins and losses. It’s how the players run things themselves. Player-led practices. Guys holding each other accountable. That’s what he wanted to see and that’s what he’s getting.
Trey Holly grew up
The Jaguars return a dangerous running back in Trey Holly. He ran for 798 yards and nine touchdowns last season, including an 80-yard dash against North Carolina Central in the MEAC/SWAC Challenge. He almost transferred after Faulk got hired but decided to stay.
Faulk said Holly used to be a me guy. Took care of himself. Did his own thing. Now he’s a leader.
They sat down and talked about what separates college players from NFL players. Faulk told him it’s all about preparation. What you eat. How much film you watch. Whether you show up on time. Holly dropped about 10 pounds. He started calling teammates to make sure they were on schedule.
“He’s really bought into that because he understands,” Faulk said.
Quarterback job still open
There’s one spot Faulk won’t rush to fill. Southern hasn’t named a starting quarterback yet. Faulk told WFAB’s Kevin Batiste he wants to settle that before camp really gets going.
“We’ll give one of the guys the nod ahead,” he said. “I hate going into a full camp with the quarterback competition but we’ll name the guy.”
The offense itself won’t have a fixed identity. Faulk said they’ll be whatever they need to be to win. Two backs and run it down your throat. Four wide receivers and throw it all over the field. Attack the weakness, not just run the system.
“We’re going to be what we need to be in order to win football games,” he said.
Southern opens the season in late August. Faulk’s first test as a head coach is almost here. He’s spent years preparing for it, even if he didn’t know it until now.
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