Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk Makes Surprising Staff Hire at Southern
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Pro Football Hall of Fame running back and new Southern University coach Marshall Faulk is expected to hire Sacramento State offensive coordinator Ken Merchant to the same position, according to CBS Sports.
The decision comes only days after Faulk said at a Southern University Board meeting that he intended to hire St. Louis Battlehawks running backs coach Kyle Caskey as his offensive coordinator. Caskey previously served as a running backs coach with the Cincinnati Bengals from 2014 through 2018 and the Detroit Lions from 2019 through 2020.
It remains unclear when or why the decision to potentially hire Caskey fell through. The Battlehawks went 8-2 this past season and lost in the conference finals.
Sacramento State averaged 33.8 points this season, Merchant’s first as the Hornets’ offensive coordinator. Senior running back Rodney Hammond led the Big Sky Conference with 1,214 rushing yards on 6.5 yards per carry, and he added 13 touchdowns.
Rodney Hammond. Big time run. pic.twitter.com/OBzocbZUnY
— Jack Dann (@JackBDann) November 9, 2025
The Hornets went 7-5 overall and 5-3 in Big Sky play, a significant improvement from their 3-9 finish the year before.
What to Know About Marshall Faulk and Southern University
Southern officially hired Faulk in late November. He has never been a head coach at any level and had not been on a coaching staff prior to joining Deion Sanders’ Colorado staff this past February.
Faulk is the latest former NFL standout to receive a college head coaching job with little to no coaching experience. Norfolk State and Delaware State hired former Philadelphia Eagles teammates Michael Vick and DeSean Jackson, respectively. Vick had only been an intern with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2017 and advised the AAF’s Atlanta Legends the following year. Jackson’s sole coaching experience was as a high school offensive coordinator in California in 2024.
“We needed someone who could extend,” Southern athletic director Roman Banks said. “Someone who can open doors. Someone [that] parents accept when he walks into the living room because of his accolades — and because of his character.”
Faulk takes over a Southern program seeking its first conference championship since 2013 and its first Black national title since 2003. He has already hired former Tulane coach Curtis Johnson as the team’s general manager and former Rams teammate Todd Lyght as Southern’s defensive coordinator.
“Winners win. That’s it,” Faulk said at his introductory press conference. “At every level of my life, I found a way to win. And that’s what we’re going to do here.”
Related: Deion Sanders, Colorado Set to Replace Hall of Famer on Coaching Staff
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This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Dec 21, 2025, where it first appeared in the College section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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