Deion Sanders' Biggest Offseason Coaching Hire at Colorado

ESPN's Eli Lederman, Max Olson and Adam Rittenberg ranked every offseason move each power conference team made, including the category of "biggest coaching move."

While elevating Chris Marve boosts the Buffaloes defense moving forward, it's Brennan Marion who is the "splashier hire" per ESPN.

"Deion Sanders ended up replacing both of his coordinators after a 3-9 season, although defensive coordinator Robert Livingston's NFL return came late in the cycle. The splashier move came at OC, as Brennan Marion, who led Sacramento State in 2025, has arrived in Boulder to install his "Go-Go" offense," ESPN wrote.

Marion's arrival likely gets Colorado to deviate from its pass-happy attack during the early seasons of Coach Prime. Last season's Buffaloes offense also tried RPO (run-pass option) concepts early with Kaidon Salter before flipping to prized true freshman Julian Lewis.

The former NFL wide receiver for the Miami Dolphins created an exotic offense where the running backs sometimes are lined up in a sidecar look, and not in a traditional split formation. The "Go-Go" even features a quads formation where the wide receivers are flooded to one side only with a single back look. Its real purpose is to place Colorado's top playmakers on an island with solo defenders and hit them downfield or vertically.

The Unit Brennan Marion must fix at Colorado

Marion presents a glistening résumé 5,430-feet above sea level this season.

The former Tulsa University star molded Jordan Addison into an NCAA All-American at Pittsburgh in 2021. He coached two more NFL ready wide receivers in Xavier Worthy and Jordan Whittington at Texas. Ricky White III flipped from rarely utilized wideout at Michigan State to Associated Press All-American and a first team All-Mountain West Conference selection in 2023.

At Colorado, he'll be tasked with turning around an offense that struggled to score in 2025. Past history suggests Marion is the right man to reignite this offense.

UNLV fell to 86th in scoring offense before Marion took the offensive coordinator duties over. But the Rebels jumped to 22nd in 2023 under Marion's watch. UNLV then built off that number in 2024, which eventually led to his head coaching gig at Sacramento State.

The Hornets averaged 29.2 points per game in 2024 before turning to Marion. But lifted to 33.8 with Marion calling the offense.

Receivers aren't the only ones benefitting from Marion. Sacramento State's leading rusher Rodney Hammond Jr. never produced a 1,000-yard season until Marion came along; delivering a 1,214-yard season with 13 touchdowns.

Marion is expected to impact his area of expertise wide receivers but also coach up a more experienced backfield for the Buffaloes. His system fuels new expectations and a strong chance to revitalize a struggling Buffaloes offense.

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