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BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - Southern University Athletic Director Roman Banks says he is focusing on winning the Bayou Classic before he begins searching for a replacement for head coach of the Jaguars.

Eric Dooley was terminated from his position as head coach of the Southern Jaguars on Tuesday.

Banks held a news conference Wednesday, Nov. 15 on the third floor of the A.W. Mumford Field House to discuss Southern’s plans for moving forward.

“We thought it was important to inject ourselves with some energy to make sure we represent our university well. ”

Southern AD Roman Banks on making the decision before the Bayou Classic.
— Kevin Batiste (@KBatisteJr) November 15, 2023

Southern announced Assistant Head Coach, Special Teams Coordinator, and Linebackers Coach Terrence Graves will serve as the interim head coach.

Coach Graves will have the distinction as the only coach in the 50-year history of the Bayou Classic to coach both Grambling State and Southern University.

Meanwhile, Safeties Coach Sean Wallace will serve as acting head coach for the Bayou Classic. Wallace was recently diagnosed with stage IV pancreatic cancer and is undergoing chemotherapy.

Coach Sean Wallace and newly appointed interim head coach Terrence Graves shared their thoughts and expectations going into Southern’s last game of the season.

Graves stated that the staff is getting ready to put together a game plan and start implementing “what we want to do and preparing for our opponent next Saturday.”

“Grambling is not going to lay down,” he added.

Wallace also made remarks during the news conference and said he is excited to lead the team during the Bayou Classic.

Despite the circumstances, Wallace said the team must respond in a positive manner and go forward.

“It’s hard to be a Jaguar, it’s tough on the Bluff,” he said.