Southern retains HBCU star despite NIL offers, per Marshall Faulk

Marshall Faulk and Southern University were able to retain a valuable key to their defense. In a clip posted by Brendan Fairbarn, Faulk spoke highly of safety Herman Brister III. Brister was a hot commodity on the transfer market and even attracted some offers with huge NIL earning potential, but he decided to stay with the Jaguars.

“That’s the guy I want to build my defense around.”#Southern head coach Marshall Faulk says safety Herman Brister III had big NIL offers, but turned them down to stay at Southern.#SWAC @LAFirstNews @hermanbrister3 pic.twitter.com/KYiQ8F2UvK

— Brendon Fairbairn (@FairbairnTV) August 4, 2026

“Herman is one of our leaders on defense. He earned that right before we got here. The fact that, and I’m gonna talk Herman up a little bit, the fact that he had NIL offers, and it was some sizable money. And I told him, I said, ‘Herm, look man, I- you gotta go. Like, that’s, this, this is life-changing money for you and your family.’”

But Brister, per Faulk, looked to stay after a less-than-stellar season for Southern in 2025.

“And for him, the taste of last season just… no, he could not leave after what happened last year, and he decided to come back. That’s leadership right there. Just, off the field leadership and making decisions. That’s a guy that I wanna build my defense around.”

Brister is entering his junior season and is expected to be one of the best players in HBCU football. He was named to the HBCU National Player of the Year watch list after recording 76 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, five pass breakups, and one forced fumble last season. He was a bright spot for the Jaguars last year, and Faulk expects him to be a leader on the defense in his first season with Southern University this fall.