Marshall Faulk Opens Spring Practice Era at Southern University

Pro Football Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk gathered his Southern University Jaguars into a huddle on the first snap of his first spring practice and delivered the kind of line that gets remembered: "This is how we're going to win. We're going to win with these guys right here. This is the brotherhood right here."

That was the tone on a 50-degree, windy afternoon in Baton Rouge on March 16, when Faulk, the newly appointed 22nd head coach in Southern football history, walked onto the practice field for the first time as the program's leader. He spent last season as a running backs coach at Colorado. Now he is rebuilding a program that won just two games in 2025, and he spent day one making clear how he intends to do it.

Faulk called the early stretch of spring work a "discovery phase," focused on two simultaneous tasks: identifying starters and establishing a team identity. His language for both was consistent. "Get better every day, individually and collectively," he told media after practice. "If everybody improves their game, then the collective will naturally develop."

The roster he inherited is a blend of holdovers, new recruits, and walk-ons, and Faulk reached for a distinctly Louisiana metaphor to describe it. "We have some guys we inherited," he said. "We got some guys that we recruited. We got some walk-ons as well, and what we're going to do is we're going to mix it all together. It's a pot of gumbo right here."

The quarterback picture remains unsettled but will be resolved well before fall camp, Faulk said. Returning signal-caller Ashton Strother, who wore No. 15 at Monday's practice, holds the early edge but faces competition from Dillon Compton and Wyatt McCauley. The depth chart on defense needs reshaping after both Ckelby Givens and Jerome Wallace declared for the NFL Draft. Linebacker Markeis Batiste has moved quickly to fill that leadership void, flying around the field and calling out plays in a way that caught the new staff's attention early.

The defense also won the day's competition drill, and Faulk made sure everyone knew it. "Defense won today," he shouted as players clapped. "That means offense, y'all got to run!" The moment drew laughter, but the accountability it carried was deliberate.

Running back Trey Holly, who rushed for 869 yards and nine touchdowns in 11 games last season, ranking fourth in the Southwestern Athletic Conference in both categories, did not enter the transfer portal. Faulk said he will assist running backs coach Josh Covington with that position group directly.

The coaching staff surrounding Faulk carries its own weight. Curtis Johnson, described as a legend in the football community, joined as Associate Head Coach. Todd Lyght, a former first-round NFL Draft pick and standout cornerback for the Los Angeles Rams, took over as Defensive Coordinator. Ben Miles, son of former LSU head coach Les Miles, and Donald Penn round out a largely new staff assembled to execute Faulk's vision.

Faulk's mid-practice message framed the entire spring ahead: "We're stacking good day after good day. When the time comes to line up, you'll be ready. That's what this is about, competing and making each other better.