Colorado’s offseason overhaul has put Brennan Marion right in the middle of the program’s reset, and he’s not shying away from the pressure that comes with it.
The Buffaloes are coming off a 3-9 season, and Colorado responded by making major changes on both sides of the ball. Marion, now the offensive coordinator, stepped into the spotlight this week on “Moore Insight,” where he laid out exactly what drives him and what he sees in the staff around him.
“The only thing I care about is being called a winner and a champion and helping people get paid and be successful,” Marion said. “I like my back against the wall.
I like all the stuff that’s going on. I see the hunger in Coach Marve’s eyes…We’re putting a collection of great men together who have done things at a high level, different places.
Now we’re here together to do something special.”
Colorado is still facing an uphill climb in the Big 12 picture. According to DraftKings Sportsbook, the Buffs have the third-worst odds to win the conference at +9000.
The offense Marion inherits needs a lift. Colorado averaged just 20.9 points per game in 2025, a number that ranked No. 116 out of 136 FBS teams. That was a major reason Deion Sanders made the swing to hire Marion after his one season leading Sacramento State.
Marion’s 2025 stop with the Hornets was a productive one. Sacramento State finished 7-5 and put up 33.8 points per game, and Marion is bringing his go-go offense with him to Boulder. The scheme is built around tempo, the quarterback in the shotgun, and two running backs lined up in the backfield.
Colorado also made a significant change on defense. Chris Marve was brought in this offseason to coach linebackers, but after Robert Livingston left for an assistant coaching job with the Denver Broncos, Marve was elevated to defensive coordinator. He has prior experience in that role from his time at Virginia Tech from 2022-2024.
The quarterback situation adds another layer to the season ahead. Redshirt freshman Julian Lewis is projected to start against Georgia Tech in Week 1.
Lewis signed with Colorado as a four-star recruit in the 2025 class, then played in four games as a true freshman, throwing for 589 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions. He sat out Colorado’s final game to preserve his redshirt, leaving him with four years of eligibility.
Colorado opens the season against the Yellow Jackets on Thursday, Sept. 3 at 6 p.m. MT on ESPN. It will be the first chance to see how Lewis handles Marion’s offense and how quickly the Buffs’ revamped staff can start delivering results.
In Other News...
Colorado Fall Camp Opens With A Coaching Change Fans Cant Ignore
Colorados fall camp opened with a staffing wrinkle that did not go unnoticed, as the Buffaloes official coaching directory no longer lists receivers coach Jason Phillips and he was not part of the teams fall camp introductions. For a program trying to settle into its next phase, any change on the staff page tends to draw a little extra scrutiny, especially when it involves a position group as central to the offense as the receivers.
Rashad Davis, who had previously worked as an inside receivers coach, appeared to be handling Phillipss role as camp got underway. The Buffaloes have not officially confirmed what happened or offered an explanation, leaving the move to speak for itself while fans and observers try to read between the lines about how the offensive staff is being shaped. [Read more 🡒]
Deion Sanders Enters Fall Camp With Colorado Facing Early Pressure
Fall camp opened with the Buffaloes shifting preseason work to Colorado Springs, where 104 players reported as Deion Sanders and his staff started putting the roster through its first real tests of the season. Sanders has made the coaching staff and roster philosophy a central part of how this program is being built, and the start of camp is always the first checkpoint for whether that approach is translating from talk to practice.
Colorado also enters camp with an unexpected personnel note, as the program announced Jason Phillips is no longer with the team so he can attend to a family matter. It adds another layer to a week that is already about evaluation and urgency, because every early absence changes how the depth chart is shaped and how much flexibility the staff has as it sorts out the pieces before the real pressure starts. [Read more 🡒]