Colorado’s new offense is already drawing comparisons, but Brennan Marion says the clearest one isn’t Sacramento State or UNLV. It’s the 2022 Texas Longhorns.
That matters because Marion, now the Buffaloes’ offensive coordinator, was around that Texas team. And when he talks about Julian “JuJu” Lewis, he keeps coming back to Quinn Ewers - not as a carbon copy, but as a quarterback with a similar developmental arc.
Speaking with The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman, Marion said Lewis is in a place that reminds him of where Ewers was in Austin. The traits, in his view, are obvious.
"[Lewis] moves well enough to get himself out of a jam, and he can make any throw. That dude has an NFL arm for sure," Marion told Feldman.
"He can really throw the ball. We’ve seen him throw it off his back foot, where he couldn’t step up, and threw it 60 yards.”
For Colorado, that’s the kind of language that gets attention fast. Lewis already showed enough to convince the Buffaloes to flip him from USC before last year’s early signing period, and Marion’s comments suggest the sophomore is giving the staff real reasons to believe.
Ewers’ run at Texas was uneven, but productive. In the one season Marion coached him as wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator, Ewers went 6-4 as a starter, completed 58.1 percent of his passes and threw 15 touchdowns. He later fought through the Arch Manning competition for the job and briefly lost the starting role, but he eventually finished with a career-high 31 touchdowns.
Lewis, meanwhile, had his own rough-edged introduction to college football. He put up 589 yards and four touchdowns without an interception, flashing as both a runner and a downfield thrower. But he was also playing behind an offensive line that gave up too many pressures, which forced him out of the pocket far too often.
That’s where Marion’s new setup comes in. Colorado’s offensive line is being built to keep Lewis from having to improvise constantly, and the new “Go-Go” offense is designed around physical downhill running mixed with aggressive play-action.
There will be read-option looks in the system, but Marion and Lewis both told Feldman the quarterback won’t be asked to run a ton.
The comparison to Ewers is one path. Another is Hajj-Malik Williams, who worked under Marion at UNLV and accounted for 28 touchdowns, including 19 passing, while taking only five sacks. Williams was a faster runner, which made the RPO element work especially well for the Rebels.
Lewis doesn’t have to be that exact player to thrive. If he protects the ball and picks his spots as a runner, he could push himself into Big 12 Most Valuable Player talk.
Colorado’s early schedule also gives him a runway, with just three top 25 defenses from 2025 in the first six games: Northwestern on Sept. 19, Texas Tech on Oct. 3 and Utah on Oct.
With the new scheme and that schedule, Lewis is in position to show the four-star talent that made him such a coveted recruit in the first place.
In Other News...
Brennan Marion Just Raised The Stakes For Colorados Offensive Line
Brennan Marions arrival as Colorados offensive coordinator has already put a spotlight on the Buffaloes front, and for good reason. He comes with experience from both the Group of Five and the Texas Longhorns, and he sees a 2026 offensive line that looks different from the kind of unit Colorado has rolled out in recent years, one built to be bigger and more physical than the group he coached in Austin.
That matters because the Buffaloes have spent the offseason trying to fix a historically weak spot, adding linemen with very different resumes, from former high-profile recruits to players who were overlooked coming out of high school. Marions confidence in the room is notable, especially with the one major comparison point still hanging over the conversation, and Colorados line now has the kind of expectations that come with a coach who believes the foundation is finally in place. [Read more 🡒]
Ian Inman Could Decide How Real Colorados 2026 Backcourt Is
Ian Inmans next step could tell Colorado a lot about how sturdy its 2026 backcourt really is. The Buffaloes guard is expected to see a bigger slice of the rotation next season, and the path to that role runs through a more demanding two-way job. He has already pointed to the areas he wants to sharpen, from conditioning to defensive range to making himself useful in more ways than spotting up behind the arc.
Tad Boyle has been just as direct about what the staff needs from him, stressing that Inman has to get bigger and stronger in the weight room if he is going to handle the added responsibility. For Colorado, the appeal is obvious: a guard who can stay on the floor longer, defend more spots and give the offense another layer. The question now is whether Inman can turn that offseason checklist into the kind of all-around jump that makes the backcourt look real, not just promising. [Read more 🡒]