Southern bets on the Deion blueprint, hiring Hall of Famer as next head coach

When Deion Sanders made the jump to college football, joining Jackson State for the 2020-2021 season, it sparked a new run in college football. Jackson State instantly became one of the most popular teams to follow in college football, bringing a ton of attention to HBCU football. After Deion Sanders' success at Jackson State, it's created a wave of former legendary players coming back to the college ranks to lead programs.

Eddie George took over Tennessee State in 2021 and has since moved to Bowling Green, Mike Vick is now the head coach at Norfolk State, and DeSean Jackson has taken over Delaware State. As the former players arrive bringing new buzz to programs, it's starting to make a ton of sense to take a chance on a coach with no experience who can help build up the program.

Southern is attempting to follow the Deion Sanders blueprint

On Wednesday, the Southern University hired Hall of Fame running back Marshall Faulk as its next head coach.

Hiring Marshall Faulk isn't just hiring a former player to copy the Deion Sanders blueprint; they're getting a coach who's coached closely alongside Coach Prime. Marshall Faulk has spent this season at Colorado serving as the Buffaloes running backs coach. Faulk has gotten to watch Deion Sanders up close for a year, and having Sanders as a resource will prove to be crucial for Faulk.

This move by Southern University is a no-brainer as they attempt to rebound from a season where they went 1-10. Faulk is a Hall of Fame player on the field, and he's going to be almost impossible to turn down on the recruiting trail as he can speak to what it takes to get to the NFL better than almost any coach.

It'll be exciting to see how Marshall Faulk builds out his staff as if it's anything like we've seen with Deion Sanders, we could get a star-studded staff.