Marshall Faulk talks Southern University coaching opportunity, winning expectations

Former NFL star Marshall Faulk was officially announced as head coach of the Jaguars on Monday afternoon. And, one thing was clear, he looks to bring winning back to the Bluff.

“I look forward to putting a winning football team out there that you’re happy to support. I look forward to putting a winning football team out there that you’re happy to support, uh, that you look forward to not just winning, but to dominate. One of the things that I used to love to hear Michael Irving say was, ‘To beat a man, you attack his weakness. To break a man, you attack his strength.’ And we are committed to attack our opponent’s strength. We want to beat them. We want to beat them when they’re at their best, playing their best, because we’re going to be our best.”

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Faulk was introduced in a star-studded press conference featuring Jaguar alumni Avery Johnson and Aeneas Williams. Both Johnson and Williams made their names in Southern University athletics and eventually making transcendent moves into the NBA and NFL respectively. During the press conference, they acknowledged the tremendous oppourtunity that Faulk brings to the program.

“Out of all the guys I’ve ever played with in the National Football League, Marshall Faulk is not only one of the smartest guys, but also he’s been taught by the best,” Willians said. “Many don’t know [that] when Marshall played at San Diego State, Coach Sean Payton was his offensive coordinator. He was mentored by Mike Martz, our head coach…Being from Louisiana, not only having this been his first time as head coach, but in reference to understanding people and how to attract teachers and to talk with him over this process, and know his heart. He’s excited. I’m excited. And Jaguar Nation should be excited.”

Meanwhile, Johnson expressed how excited he was at the the hire, saying, “So, I graduated from Southern University in 1988, and I have never been as excited about a football coach in the hiring of Marshall Faulk. I want to thank everybody that had a decision in this…We are thrilled to have Marshall Faulk as our next football coach, not only to win the Bayou Classic, but we also want to win the Celebration Bowl next year.”

Faulk’s vision of Southern athletics is making football king once again. Southern is one of the traditional blue-blood powers in HBCU football, boasting coaching legends like Ace Mumford and Pete Richardson. The Jaguars also saw recent success with former head coach Dawson Odoms, who departed the program after the Spring 2021 season to lead the Norfolk State Spartans. During his remarks, Faulk quipped about making sure Southern fans support the football team all four quarters and not just the Human Jukebox.

“I hope that you guys like football in the second half as well as you do the first half. Although I love the band, there will be football played in the third and fourth quarters and I look forward to seeing you guys there.”

His call for support for Jaguar athletics is something that is already being felt by the department. Roman Banks, Southern University Athletics Director, noted that he’s already seeing the transformative nature of the hire and boasts it as a move driven by the new era of college athletics.

“The game changers are being able to have someone [who] can…open up the doors in a variety of ways: Engage boosters and alums, being able to walk into a home and knock on the door, and the parents will accept who you are because of your accolades. To generate dollars, as he’s been able to do for me already. [I’ve been] able to go and get some phone calls that we never been able to get to upgrade locker room facilities to make sure we have proper nourishment for our student athletes.

He added, “So this hire is also about a CEO that can help the athletics [department] take this whole program to another level and help all alum. And, our supporters to be proud and to be able to go get the best student athletes that we possibly can get and graduate them and so they can be successful in life.”

Overall, Faulk’s goal is to build strong men. And, per his comments during the press conference, it’s the broadest goal for his tenure with the program.

“The players that take the field, they’re gonna step on that field as boys [and] they’re gonna leave here as young men. And what we plan to do is make sure that they excel off the field as well as on the field. Because a lot of the time on the field purpose, it happens, but then when they get off the field, it doesn’t, we’re gonna make sure that they have the tools to succeed in life as well as in football.”

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