Head Coach Deion Sanders during a time out at the game at Folsom Field Saturday Nov. 22, 2025. (Tyler Phillips/CU Independent)
Head coach Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes have made their first move in what promises to be a busy offseason, hiring 38-year-old Brennan Marion to be the Buffs’ new offensive coordinator. Marion takes over a position that saw a change mid-season from Pat Shurmur to interim Brett Bartolone, in an offense that averaged a lowly 20.9 points per game.
Marion will take over a free spot as offensive coordinator, as the university declined to extend Shurmur’s contract after a lackluster 2025 season. His play calling consistently hindered Colorado’s starting quarterback, whether senior Kaidon Salter or true-freshman Julian Lewis, and this move is designed to strengthen Lewis next year.
Marion comes to the University of Colorado Boulder after one season as head coach at Sacramento State, where he coined the “Go-Go” offense and led the Hornets to a program record 39 rushing touchdowns. He’s hopped around college football since 2020, being a wide receivers coach at Hawaii (2020) and Pittsburgh (2021), a passing game coordinator at Texas (2022) and an offensive coordinator at UNLV (2023-24) before shifting to Sacramento State.
The “Go-Go” offense is run through three facets: creativity, toughness and pace. He specializes in optimizing the running back, and led Sacramento State’s Rodney Hammond Jr. to 1,214 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns in 2025. Lewis’ archetype is a dual-threat quarterback, so this move should maximize his potential on the ground while adding flair to the Buffaloes’ offense.
Even though Marion is set to join the team next season, a contract has yet to be determined.
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Baylan Wysuph at baylan.wysuph@colorado.edu.
