HC Deion Sanders just wrapped up one of the most brutal seasons of his coaching career. And now he’s got to figure out how to fix it without one of his key guys. Marshall Faulk bolted for Southern University in Baton Rouge, taking the head coaching job at the HBCU program just days after Colorado’s season mercifully ended. But why would a guy leave Coach Prime after just one year to take over a Southern team that went 2-10?​ Hear it from the man himself.

“When Southern came calling, I was thinking to myself, there’s not a better place to do this, you know,” the New Orleans native said. “This state, rich in the history of football and what it’s done for me, giving me my start. Why not go back here and impact some kids at this program, give them the opportunity, and teach them the things Coach Wayne Reese taught me. Because a lot about this game, it’ll teach you more about the game but more about life. And if you don’t cheat the game, it won’t cheat you.”​

For Faulk, this move is deeply personal. The 52-year-old is a New Orleans native returning to his home state of Louisiana, where he became a legend at San Diego State before embarking on a Hall of Fame NFL career. The $20 million HOFer would be the 22nd head coach in Southern’s history and the first to take over the program with no prior head-coaching experience at any level.

But Southern’s athletic director, Roman Banks, made it clear that Faulk’s “wealth of knowledge and accolades as a player,” combined with his “vast resources in the state, relationships, and vision,” made him the perfect candidate. 

Faulk told reporters he already has 90% of his coaching staff locked in. Some coaches could potentially follow him from Colorado after the Buffaloes’ nightmare season. He’s betting on his NFL pedigree, his local connections for recruiting, and his ability to build culture. This is something Southern desperately needs after years of struggles.​

The relationship between Faulk and Deion Sanders might have hit a snag before the split, too. During a tight game against Arizona State, Sanders overruled Faulk’s input at a critical moment. He put walk-on wide receiver Ronald Coleman in for a carry instead of using the productive running backs Faulk had been coaching all season. Coleman gained 14 yards but fumbled on his first attempt. Then, Arizona State scored to seal the win. That moment reportedly caused tension, though both men have kept things professional publicly.

Still, watching Colorado stumble to three wins while dealing with one of the nation’s worst defenses couldn’t have been fun for Faulk. He is also following in Coach Prime’s footsteps in one respect. Both Hall of Famers started their head coaching careers at HBCUs, with Sanders famously rebuilding Jackson State before jumping to Colorado.​

Coach Prime’s blessing

The wildest part about Faulk leaving Colorado is that Deion Sanders basically shoved him toward the exit. But he meant it as the ultimate compliment. Before Faulk even took the podium at his Southern introductory press conference, officials openly discussed how Coach Prime had personally encouraged the move. 

“Hey, man, I encouraged Marshall to not only interview for the job, but to accept the job if that was in his heart to do,” Sanders told Southern administrators directly. Then he added, “Make no mistake about it, I’m going to miss Marshall Faulk.” That’s Sanders recognizing that Faulk had found something bigger than being an assistant coach in Boulder, even if it meant losing one of his Hall of Fame coaches after just one season together. 

Faulk admitted the moment felt full-circle in a way that’s hard to explain unless you’ve lived it. For more than two decades, people kept telling him he needed to be coaching. But it never clicked until he spent a year watching Sanders work his magic in Colorado. 

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“And when I went to Colorado with Coach Prime, I found it,” Faulk told the crowd at Southern. “I was like, ‘Wow, there’s something here for me to teach and to make sure that the next generation is playing the game the right way.'” He discovered his purpose by watching Prime build culture at Folsom Field. So, when Southern came calling with help from Hall of Famer Aeneas Williams and former NBA coach Avery Johnson, Faulk was finally ready.