Details are being finalized on the deal that would return Marshall Faulk to his home state as Southern University’s next coach. Ron Chenoy / Imagn Images
Marshall Faulk is expected to become the next head coach at Southern University, an FCS program in Louisiana, a source briefed on the decision told The Athletic.
Details are being finalized on the deal that would return the 52-year-old New Orleans native to his home state after his first season as a college coach, in which he worked as the running backs coach at Colorado under fellow Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders. NFL insider Jordan Schultz was the first to report that Faulk is expected to get the Southern job.
Faulk would follow the path of other NFL greats such as Sanders, Eddie George, DeSean Jackson and Michael Vick in taking over an HBCU football program.
Faulk grew up as a star athlete in New Orleans at Carver High School, but most colleges recruited him to play defensive back. He chose San Diego State because the Aztecs wanted him as a running back. In his second college game, Faulk ran for 386 yards and seven touchdowns — both NCAA freshman records. He left SDSU after three seasons, producing 5,562 all-purpose yards and 62 touchdowns. He finished second for the Heisman Trophy to Miami QB Gino Torretta in 1992.
He was drafted No. 2 in 1994 by the Indianapolis Colts and went on to win NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. He was later traded to the St. Louis Rams in 1999, where he helped spark the most explosive offense in NFL history, which became known as the “Greatest Show on Turf.” The Rams beat the Tennessee Titans to win Super Bowl XXXIV in 2000 for the franchise’s first NFL title since 1951. Faulk won the league MVP in 2000 and Offensive Player of the Year in three consecutive seasons from 1999 to 2001.
Nov 27, 2025
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