Marshall Faulk has spent the first six games of his first season at Southern University evaluating his players, his staff and the direction of a program he inherited.
On Monday, Faulk, who has not been shy about bluntly stating player performance, turned that evaluation toward himself.
Asked to grade his performance as Southern’s first-year head coach, Faulk offered a candid answer.
“C-minus at best,” he said Monday during the SWAC coaches media conference.
The self-assessment came after a difficult stretch for the Jaguars, who have lost consecutive games to Jackson State and Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Southern was beaten 35-17 by Jackson State before suffering a 41-10 homecoming loss to UAPB on Saturday, its worst of the season to a non-FCS opponent.
Faulk said there are areas where he knows he must improve, particularly when it comes to putting his players in the best position to succeed.
“I got room to grow,” Faulk said. “There’s some elements that I am going to get better at, and making sure one of the things I want to make sure is that we’re bringing kids in the best position as possible.”
That evaluation extends to his coaching staff.
Faulk said he is assessing his offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator and special teams staff while preparing to make changes to Southern’s practice structure.
“We’re going to change things up in our practice structure and try to get better in those departments,” he said.
The Jaguars have struggled on both sides of the ball during their recent skid. Against UAPB, Southern’s defense had difficulty with tackling and busted coverages, while the offense struggled to consistently generate production, particularly on Saturday after Faulk went with third-string freshman QB Wyatt McCauley after starter Christian Johnson did not participate because he “broke a team rule.”
Faulk knows the scrutiny that comes with trying to rebuild a program, particularly at Southern.
He also knows there is no quick fix.
“We got to block hard. We got to block better. We got to tackle better,” Faulk said. “We got to catch the ball. We got to run the ball more physical. We got to throw the ball better.”
“That’s what gets you out of this. There’s no magic potion.”
Now, with Southern preparing for a pivotal matchup against Prairie View A&M, Faulk’s goal is to turn his C-minus into something better.
His vision for the program remains simple: compete, play with effort, and give Southern a chance to win.
“Always going out on the field and giving any effort, being competitive, and having a chance to win ball games,” Faulk said.
