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Marshall Faulk’s starting QB turned him down before joining Southern
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- Marshall Faulk’s starting QB turned him down before joining Southern
Marshall Faulk's starting QB turned him down before joining Southern appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
When Pro Football Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk became the head coach of Southern University, many believed that highly touted recruits would immediately want to play for him, but starting Jaguar quarterback Christian Johnson actually turned Faulk down before eventually committing to Southern. According to a profile by The Advocate, Johnson knew Faulk's NFL career as a former standout running back for the Indianapolis Colts. Johnson is a native of Indiana.
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But despite the Indianapolis tie, The Advocate reports that Johnson turned down Southern's offer. Instead, he signed with the University of Louisiana Monroe in December 2025, but reopened his recruitment in April and never attended spring practice because of issues with his college credits.
"When I signed, they looked at everything, they said I was good," Johnson told The Advocate. "And then I guess their admissions people had looked at it again, and then came back and said I wasn't good because I had too many of a certain elective."
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After re-entering the transfer portal, Johnson had several suitors, including several HBCU programs, but he ultimately decided to play for Southern because he believed in Faulk. Faulk was impressed with Johnson, per The Advocate, as it appeared that NIL was not top of mind for the former star JUCO quarterback.
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"He didn't say, 'If you match it, I'm leaving,'" Faulk told The Advocate. "I was like, 'That right there, man, that's everything,' and I was like, 'OK.' I respected him from that day forward."
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Johnson arrived at Southern University through Hutchinson Community College, where he helped the program capture the 2024 NJCAA Division I national championship. Over his two seasons there, he compiled 3,103 passing yards and 907 rushing yards, totaling 42 touchdowns. He is now QB1 for a Southern University team that looks to compete in the SWAC West in Faulk's first season at the helm of the program.
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