Deion Sanders Made One Of The Big 12's Splashiest Coordinator Hires

Life has returned to the Colorado Buffaloes' offense.

Coming off a disappointing 2025 season under former coordinator Pat Shurmur, coach Deion Sanders snagged Brennan Marion from Sacramento State's head job in December with hopes of bringing a new look to his offense. Marion has been one of the quickest-rising coaches in college football, and he'll now bring his "Go-Go" offense to Boulder.

Brennan Marion Big 12 Splashiest Coordinator Hires Colorado Buffaloes Football Deion Sanders Coach Prime Sacramento State CU — Nov 22, 2025; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Julian Lewis (10) scrambles in the first quarter against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

On Tuesday, ESPN's Adam Rittenberg named Marion as the Big 12 Conference's "most interesting" coordinator hire of the offseason.

"Marion is a young, dynamic coach who quickly facilitated improvement at UNLV, which ranked 11th nationally in scoring (34.9 PPG) during his two seasons as coordinator," Rittenberg wrote. "The 'go-go offense' operates with pace and applies pressure to defenses in different ways by varying formations and emphasizing the downhill run game."

Colorado OC Brennan Marion on his offensive weapons: “Everybody’s gonna eat.”

“At UNLV … we had nine guys with over 50 touches.”

🎥 @DukestheScoop pic.twitter.com/d3QEjIAMC6
— Scott Procter (@ScottProcter_) February 10, 2026

Marion will work closely with projected starting quarterback Julian "JuJu" Lewis, who impressed in four games last season with 589 passing yards and four touchdowns. Other notable returners who could find success in Marion's offense include running back Micah Welch, wide receiver Quentin Gibson and tight end Zach Atkins.

The 38-year-old Marion also brought over a few of his top talents from Sacramento State, including wide receiver Ernest Campbell, offensive lineman Jose Soto and running backs Damian Henderson II and Jaquail Smith.

Perhaps most exciting, Marion shared in a recent interview with Phillip Dukes that his offense prides itself on allowing a variety of playmakers an opportunity to shine.

"That's the unique thing about our offense, where one guy doesn't dominate the ball," Marion told Dukes. "Multiple guys get a chance to operate, touch the ball, make plays and have an impact on the game. The other thing is how we practice. The way we practice, I always tell people that we have a Friday night offense, we have a Saturday at noon kickoff offense, and we have a Sunday NFL dropback. We can play that game with you as well."

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Stepping Stone to Power Four Head Coaching Job?

Rittenberg also shared his belief that Marion could eventually land a Power Four head job if he makes the most out of his opportunity on Sanders' staff.

"If things go well in Boulder, Marion should put himself in position for Power 4 jobs," Rittenberg wrote.

Marion began his coaching career about 15 years ago at the high school level before stops at Arizona State, Oklahoma Baptist, Howard, William & Mary, Hawaii, Pitt and Texas. He rose to prominence as UNLV's offensive coordinator from 2023-24, which led him to his first head coaching job at FCS Sacramento State.

Elevating. 🏔️

Colorado Football welcomes Brennan Marion to Boulder as Offensive Coordinator.#GoGoBuffs https://t.co/1zrztQqCJ0 pic.twitter.com/5FWnZqhAj6
— Colorado Buffaloes Football (@CUBuffsFootball) December 5, 2025

"We brought in a man that has shown he's creative, innovative, knowledgeable, smart and understands today's players," Sanders said of Marion. "He has made a difference on the field and off everywhere he's been."