Marshall Faulk says NFL is no longer the ‘next level’ for HBCU players

The Southern University coach says major college programs are increasingly recruiting talent developed at historically Black schools.

Marshall Faulk says the path between HBCU players and the NFL has changed, with major college programs increasingly becoming the next destination for talent developed at historically Black schools, according to HBCUGameday.

At SWAC Football Media Day, the first-year Southern University head coach said, “I believe that the next level is no longer the NFL,” before adding, “We get poached by the FBS. They want our players.”

Faulk was not arguing that HBCU athletes can no longer reach professional football. His point was that Football Bowl Subdivision programs now recruit proven players from Football Championship Subdivision schools, creating another step between Black college football and the pros.

The Hall of Famer said coaches must accept the new landscape and prepare athletes to navigate it. He also noted that transferring can give players a chance to earn more money while they remain in college.

Other SWAC coaches described the same pressure. Grambling State coach Mickey Joseph said his program has lost 15 players to the transfer portal since he took over, with departures usually involving starters rather than backups. Bethune-Cookman coach Raymond Woodie summarized the challenge by saying coaches are trying to build a culture while repeatedly rebuilding rosters.

The debate over HBCU players and the NFL intensified in 2023 when Deion Sanders criticized 31 teams after Isaiah Bolden became the only HBCU player selected in that year’s draft. The moment renewed questions about how professional teams evaluate talent developed at Black colleges and across the FCS.

HBCUs also have a long history of producing professional talent. Grambling State alumnus Paul “Tank” Younger became the first NFL player from an HBCU when he signed with the Los Angeles Rams as an undrafted free agent in 1949, opening a path later followed by hundreds of players.

Faulk brings unusual authority to the discussion. Southern named him its 22nd head football coach in December 2025 after a Hall of Fame playing career that included 12,279 rushing yards, 136 total touchdowns and the 2000 NFL Most Valuable Player award.

His message was not that the NFL has disappeared as the ultimate goal. It was that the route may now include another college stop before an HBCU player reaches it.