The Jaguars’ head coach, Marshall Faulk, continues to build a staff with strong Power Four ties at his new home. Known for his connection to Deion Sanders, the former NFL standout is now bringing pro-level talent and experience to the HBCU program as he prepares Southern for the future.

“Breaking: Marshall Faulk is reportedly naming veteran NFL and collegiate coach Kyle Caskey as its new offensive coordinator!” reported OffScript_Tv, the voice of HBCU Sports, on Thursday.

It’s a significant power move for the Southern offense, as Caskey brings over 20 years of NFL and college football experience to the HBCU program. Caskey now returns to the college sidelines for the first time since 2009, when he was a defensive assistant at Ole Miss under Houston Nutt.

However, between 2010 and 2021, he went pro, spending time with the Lions and Bengals. Most recently, he joined the St. Louis Battlehawks in 2024.

But that’s not the whole story, as Caskey’s NFL connections run deep. He served as an offensive quality control coach with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2021 under head coach Urban Meyer. However, after that season, their paths diverged. Meyer transitioned into sports analysis, while Caskey remained in the league for one more season, continuing to build his professional experience.

Despite landing an offensive coordinator with that level of pedigree, what truly stands out is Marshall Faulk’s ability to attract high-end coaching talent on a limited budget. While the Southern head coach signed a three-year contract worth $1.2 million, with a $950,000 pool allocated for assistant coaches’ salaries, it’s hardly a luxury setup.

Still, Faulk has made every dollar work.

With that, the Jaguars’ staff now looks like a collection of golden tickets. Alongside the offensive coordinator, head coach Marshall Faulk brought in Curtis Johnson as general manager and senior advisor.

Johnson’s track record supports that. He is a seasoned veteran, having previously served as head coach of Tulane from 2012 to 2015 and later leading Houston for one season.

Furthermore, Faulk landed Todd Lyght as defensive coordinator, a reunion that had been years in the making. The two were teammates on the Super Bowl XXXIV–winning St. Louis Rams.

However, Lyght’s resume backs the hire with stops at Notre Dame as DBs coach from 2015 to 2019 and with the Eagles as assistant DBs coach from 2013 to 2014. Now, while Lyght is reportedly set to earn $125,000 for his role, the list didn’t stop there.

Faulk also added NFL experience to his staff by hiring Donald Penn as offensive line coach. Moreover, he rounded out the group by bringing in Ben Miles, the son of former LSU head coach Les Miles, as TEs coach and recruiting coordinator. Miles arrives at Southern after previous stops at FSU and Texas A&M.

With this level of stacked talent, it’s clear the new Southern head coach is taking his first head coaching job seriously and building it with purpose from day one.

“Can’t wait to hear the rest of the names but he’s nailed the most important hires,” wrote one fan named Christopher Bowman.

Managing this level of talent on a limited budget, especially so soon after taking over as head coach, only highlights Faulk’s hiring prowess. He knows how to sell Southern’s resources and vision, even after spending last season as Colorado’s RBs coach. Perhaps that experience helped him see firsthand how to build a program as a head coach, as he shares a strong bond with the Buffs’ head coach.

Now, while Faulk’s approach to staff-building, even if different in execution, mirrors the eye for talent shared by his longtime friend, Deion Sanders. That friendship grew even stronger when the Colorado head coach gave Faulk his first coaching opportunity.

How deeply the HBCU head coach is connected to Deion Sanders

Long before coaching titles, Deion and Faulk’s bond was built on NFL Sundays. That connection only deepened later in the studio, where they worked side by side as analysts for the NFL Network.

“We are good friends,” said Faulk once. “Whatever I can do to help him out, I’m going to do.”

That loyalty showed up in Boulder. Last season, Sanders brought Faulk onto the Buffs staff, giving him his first coaching opportunity. While Faulk didn’t take that lightly, he later called Sanders an “elevator” for that opportunity.

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Now, Deion’s knack for pushing people to elevate their lives has inspired the Buffs’ running backs coach to take the reins at Southern, a program coming off a 2–10 season.

The NFL Hall of Famer is leaving Boulder after one season, returning to his New Orleans home to take the reins and rebuild the Southern program. While the move was announced after CU’s loss to Kansas State, his departure could sting. Under Faulk, Colorado’s run game finally showed life, piling up 1,190 non-QB rushing yards after two stagnant years.

Now the Buffs are searching for a new RB coach, while Faulk focuses on rebuilding the Jags.