Marshall Faulk Gets Real About NIL, Portal, and Getting Southern Players Paid

Marshall Faulk isn't sugarcoating the realities of modern college football. The first-year head coach at Southern University knows his Baton Rouge HBCU can't compete financially with the sport's biggest programs — and he's not trying to.

During a recent appearance on The Rich Eisen Show, the Pro Football Hall of Famer laid out his philosophy with striking candor: develop players at Southern, then help them reach the money.

“I'm not trying to keep up. I'm just trying to get my kids to the money game. The money game is in the FBS. You got to be in the Power 3, 4, or 5 to really make the kind of money.”

That statement may sound jarring coming from an HBCU coach tasked with rebuilding a program that finished 2-10 last season. But it's consistent with what Faulk has been saying since taking the job.

A New Reality for HBCU Football

At SWAC Football Media Day in July, Faulk articulated a similar vision, arguing that the landscape has fundamentally changed for standout FCS players.

“I believe that the next level is no longer the NFL. We get poached by the FBS. They want our players.”

In Faulk's view, talented HBCU athletes now have an intermediate destination before professional football. They can transfer to an FBS program, increase their exposure and potentially earn more money while remaining in college. He described modern college football as “straight business,” citing NIL conversations, the transfer portal, and the need for general managers as evidence.

The players understand this reality too.

Turning Honesty Into a Recruiting Tool

Faulk's approach carries both risk and opportunity for Southern. The Jaguars need talented players long enough to compete in the SWAC — SWAC voters picked them fifth in the West, leaving little margin for error. Yet their head coach is openly telling recruits that Baton Rouge may not be their final stop if they perform well enough to attract FBS money.

That transparency could cost Southern proven players. But it might also become one of Faulk's strongest recruiting pitches.

At SWAC Media Day, Faulk emphasized that coaches must develop players capable of moving up. His latest comments remove any ambiguity about where he believes that level sits in today's financial hierarchy.

Southern University cannot outspend the richest programs in college football. No HBCU or FCS school can. But Marshall Faulk appears willing to measure part of his program's success by whether it develops players those schools want — even if it means losing them.

Developing players only to lose them can turn every offseason into another rebuild. But Faulk isn't selling his players a version of college football that no longer exists. He's telling them exactly where the money is — and making it clear that he intends to help them get there.

Originally reported by HBCU Gameday.