After going 4-7 last season, Colorado Buffaloes’ head coach Deion Sanders didn’t take any chances and knew the offense needed an upgrade. Coach Prime moved on from Pat Shurmur and brought in the founder of the Go-Go offense, Brennan Marion, to run his offense. Unlike Shurmur, Marion had specific work cut out for Colorado’s quarterbacks this offseason. After coaching the group, Marion believes JuJu has made great progress and avoids big mistakes. Now, it’s time for JuJu to step up and truly own this offense.

Five-star recruit Julian Lewis threw for 589 yards and five TDs in four games last season, and most importantly, zero interceptions. Lewis gave Colorado a real spark in limited snaps, but Marion wants him to grow beyond making the scheduled throw and start reading the defense on his own.

“Now (Julian’s Lewis is) looking past just, ‘Coach called this, my guy has this route,’” Coach Marion said on The Morning Run With Unc and Chico. “He’s seeing the whole picture of what the defense is doing. That’s going to be critical in the next phase of his development because he now understands what we’re trying to do on offense and the players he has around him.”

Last season, Lewis showed the arm talent, but Marion’s point is that 2026 asks for more than clean throws on script. Colorado needs him to process faster when a defense changes looks after the snap. Marion says that to throw for 4,000 yards and win championships, a quarterback cannot just play without reading the defense. He wants JuJu to understand the game so well that he can make his own decisions based on what the defense is showing him. To help him get there, former Colorado star Shedeur Sanders recently spent time working with JuJu and giving him advice.

Despite the Go-Go offense’s reputation, Marion emphasized Lewis’s passing prowess, calling him the most gifted passer he’s coached. Marion called Lewis the “most gifted passer” he has ever coached. Safe to say, he’s pretty confident in his skill set.

Colorado’s offense needs a quarterback who plays with real feel and individual swag, just like Shedeur Sanders did back in 2024. “There has to be some feel. There has to be some sauce to it. You’ve got to put your own spin on it. Have your own aura and swag. That’s what really makes it go,” Marion said.

Kaidon Salter lacked that feel last season. Marion believes Lewis is developing it now. With Colorado staring at a demanding 2026 schedule that includes Georgia Tech, Northwestern, Baylor, Texas Tech and Utah, every missed read matters if the Buffs want to stay in the bowl race. Marion also spoke about Utah transfer Isaac Wilson, NFL QB Zach Wilson’s younger brother.

Brennan Marion gives an update on QB2

Isaac Wilson already understands the exciting part of Colorado’s offense. According to Brennan Marion, that’s why everyone was so impressed with him during spring practice. Wilson knows how to spot big-play opportunities and get the ball to the right receiver. He had a couple of big plays, including an 80-yard touchdown to Kam.

But Marion believes the Utah transfer quarterback is still learning that every play doesn’t have to be a home run. Sometimes, the smartest decision is to take the easy throw and keep the offense moving.

“He has to learn how to hit the base hit a little bit more. He’s understanding just taking the layup, taking the easy play, not risking the ball. Not everything is going to be the big play. As a quarterback, you just have to be okay with chipping it down there until you can hit the cup. Sometimes you can’t always pull your driver out.”