Former Brennan Marion Assistant Takes Vital Position On Colorado Buffaloes Staff

Coach Deion Sanders has hired Kyle Wagner as an assistant running backs coach and offensive analyst with the Colorado Buffaloes. Wagner will take the same position he held under new offensive coordinator Brennan Marion with the Sacramento State Hornets.

Sacramento State Hornets head coach Brennan Marion listens to one of the assistant coaches yell at players on Saturday, Aug. 30, 2025, at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium in Brookings, South Dakota. | Samantha Laurey / Argus Leader / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Coach Deion Sanders is letting new offensive coordinator Brennan Marion cook with the Colorado Buffaloes.

The former Sacramento State Hornets coach has brought in a key assistant who can help shape an offense to remember in Boulder. On Thursday, Kyle Wagner announced he'd been hired by Colorado as an assistant running backs coach and offensive analyst, the same position he held at Sac State this past season.

Wagner helped Marion innovate one of the most explosive offenses in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) in 2025. Additionally, his decorated history as a high school coach can help with recruiting.

Brennan Marion's Brings Company to Coach Prime's Staff

Oct 25, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders coaches before the game against the Utah Utes at Rice-Eccles Stadium. | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

Under Wagner's direction, Sacramento State rushed for a program-record 39 touchdowns and ranked second in the FCS in rushing yards (2,248). Physicality and pace wore out opposing defenses for 33.8 points per game, and the Hornets had three 100-yard rushers for the first time in team history.

For reference, Colorado hasn't had a 100-yard rusher since "Coach Prime" arrived in 2023. The Buffs' ground game hasn't been a factor, though it improved this past season with Pro Football Hall of Fame running back Marshall Faulk overseeing the backfield.

Faulk's impact earned him a head coaching job with the Southern Jaguars just as Colorado's season wound down, leaving the running backs coach position vacant until Wagner was hired.

Aug 29, 2025; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes running backs coach Marshall Faulk before the game against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Folsom Field. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Before his lone season alongside Marion at Sac State, Wagner coached high school football in St. Louis, Missouri. He led Lutheran North from 2021-24, winning a state championship in Missouri's third-highest weight class in his final year.

Lutheran holds Missouri's No. 30 prospect according to 247Sports, three-star wide receiver Michael Clark. He remains uncommitted with offers from Sac State, Kent State and Miami of Ohio.

While it may not include marquee names, Wagner could lay the groundworks to connect the Buffaloes with Missouri's high school landscape, a state largely unexplored by Coach Prime.

MORE: Colorado Gets Hit With Biggest Transfer Portal Loss Yet

MORE: Michael Irvin Gets Real On Blame Surrounding Shedeur Sanders

MORE: Deion Sanders Faces Recruiting Problem After Omarion Miller Transfer News

Running Backs Could Rule With Brennan Marion, Kyle Wagner

Nov 22, 2025; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes running back Dallan Hayden (7) runs for a touchdown in the first quarter against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Folsom Field. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

While their production has never popped, Colorado's running backs have the talent to flourish in a sharper scheme. Marion's system has proven to prioritize the run, even if the quarterback isn't a scrambler.

With quarterback Julian Lewis under center for the foreseeable future, the Buffs should have a balanced approach to success. Their running back room showed flashes in limited opportunities this past fall and added wrinkles Marion could expand on, such as wildcat formations with wide receiver Dre'lon Miller.

Micah Welch led the room with 384 yards and four touchdowns with two years of eligibility to play within the Go-Go. Dallan Hayden may have the position group's highest ceiling, improving this past season amid lingering injuries.

If medical redshirts prevail, Simeon Price and DeKalon Taylor could return to the backfield. The transfers from last year's cycle were efficient and dynamic before injuries cut their seasons short.

Marion's creativity was sure to rub off on Wagner, and this hiring could merely be the tip of the iceberg. With the departure of tight ends coach/pass game coordinator Brett Bartolone, Colorado's offensive staff could continue to evolve and add more Marion-adjacent minds.