Like him or not, Deion Sanders helped to break down a barrier when the NFL Hall of Famer went from high school offensive coordinator to Division I head coach in 2020 in landing the Jackson State head coaching job.
After double-digit win seasons in 2021 and 2022 leading the Tigers, Sanders was one of the hottest names in college football when Colorado decided to bring him to Boulder, where he went 4-8 in his debut season before a breakout 9-4 campaign that ended with a Heisman Trophy winner and high first-round pick in Travis Hunter.
Prime's nine-win season last fall helped to serve as a launching point for other former NFL standouts with limited-to-zero coaching experience to enter the head coaching ranks, as Michael Vick and DeSean Jackson landed spots at the FCS level. Vick took over in the shadows of his old stomping grounds growing up at Norfolk State (and has struggled to 1-10, still searching for a Division I win) while Jackson took over at Delaware State and has the Hornets sitting an impressive 7-3.
Former Heisman winner and Ohio State standout Eddie George followed the same roadmap as Prime, rebuilding Tennessee State at the FCS level before making the jump to Bowling Green and the FBS level after getting an endorsement from college football greatUrban Meyer.
As coaching moves continue to pick up, another former NFL great is exploring a Division I head coaching move.
Marshall Faulk, who got his coaching career started this earlier this year when he joined the Colorado staff under Sanders working with the running backs, has interviewed for the head coaching job at Southern (FCS - LA), according to a report from WAFB out of Baton Rouge.
The Super Bowl XXXIV champion and former NFL MVP previously interviewed for the opening back in the spring of 2021, but the job ultimately went to Jason Rollins, who spent one season as the interim head coach.
Breaking into college football as a head coach is hard enough for those with tons of good experience, and having Hall of Fame credentials certainly doesn't make that any easier, so Faulk's willingess to jump into the depths of college football by taking the running backs job on a staff as renowned as Prime's shows his willingness to address any perceived soft spots on his resume.
With the Bayou Classic game on tap next weekend pitting Southern against Grambling State, WAFB shares that the search has narrowed their pool down to ten candidates, including Faulk.
Sources share with FootballScoop that Nebraska defensive line coach Terry Bradden. and Maurice Harris (who has worked under Hugh Freeze at multiple stops including as a co-coordinator at Liberty) are among the other candidates in play.
As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.