Buster Faulkner’s path to becoming one of the nation’s most highly regarded offensive coordinators – he was named the 2025 Offensive Coordinator of the Year by FootballScoop, an award voted on by his peers in the profession – featured nine stops before his arrival in Gainesville under Florida’s newly hired head coach, Jon Sumrall.
Of all his stops, including at Georgia, Arkansas State, Murray State, Southern Mississippi and most recently Georgia Tech, his start in the profession at Valdosta State was one that shaped who he is.
Faulkner started his coaching career in 2005 as a student assistant for Valdosta State, and he’d head to Georgia a year later as a graduate assistant before heading back to Valdosta State. There, he’d gain critical coaching experience, first as quarterbacks coach before being promoted to offensive coordinator a year later…