Amid a tidal wave of college football firings, Deion Sanders kept his ship afloat despite Colorado’s 3-9 finish. But the season clearly lit a fire within him. He has hit the ‘revamp’ button on his coaching staff. With a brand-new offensive coordinator in Boulder, Deion’s Buffs are only getting started with their makeover.

“This staff is going to be revamped on both sides of the ball, offense, defense, special teams,” said Colorado loyalist Uncle Neely on the December 5 episode of The Pregame Network. “You’re gonna have different assignments, changing within the program.”

Deion and crew just snagged Sacramento State Hornets head coach Brennan Marion, the mastermind behind the “Go-Go” attack. He is taking over after Pat Shurmur’s deal expired following a 3-9 slog. The 38-year-old becomes the No.3 offensive coordinator in Deion Sanders’ era. 

After Sean Lewis bolted for the San Diego State job and Shurmur took over, Colorado still couldn’t unlock the offense in 2024. That, too, with Shedeur and Heisman winner Travis Hunter in the arsenal. Deion won’t be settling down anytime soon now that Marion is hired.

“Changes,” Deion dropped a warning via On3. “Already evaluating the program. Changes (are coming). Mentality, personnel, coaching, everything, that’s what that looks like.”

Deion pulled Shurmur’s play-calling badge this year. Defensive coordinator Robert Livingston could be in the same boat. With running backs coach Marshall Faulk already gone to lead Southern University, it’s fair to say Deion’s entire staff might be in for a significant facelift. For now, how will Marion’s hire benefit the Buffs squad?

Brennan Marion comes to Boulder fresh off a 7-5 debut season at Sacramento State and two explosive years steering the UNLV Rebels’ offense under Barry Odom. His meteoric rise has turned him into one of the sport’s most fascinating offensive architects. Known for creativity, player development, and recruiting chops, he leaves Sacramento State boasting the No. 1 FCS recruiting class.

For Deion, this hire might be the spark his offense desperately needed after sputtering under Shurmur. The play-calling all year felt stale and stripped of the flash that once made Colorado must-see TV.

Cut to Marion, at Sacramento State, he ran a dynamic, run-first attack that put up 33.8 points per game, ranking 20th nationally in the FCS. While Sanders could be ready for more coaching moves, a $27 million burden looms large over the plan.

A $27 million burden bogs down Deion Sanders

According to Cision’s reports in July 2024, Colorado raked in around $343 million in “earned media” from July 31 to November 27, 2023, during Sanders’ first season. That accounted for nearly four times the $87 million they pulled in over the same stretch in 2022, when the Buffs went 1-11.

But gone are those days.

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“Less than a year after making Deion Sanders one of the highest-paid coaches in the country at $10 million annually, Colorado’s athletic department is now facing a record $27 million deficit,” reported analyst Joe Pompliano on December 5.

Colorado’s budget woes come at a tricky time. Athletic director Rick George is leaving, and earlier this year the school nearly doubled Deion’s pay, locking him into a five-year deal worth more than $10 million a year. Furthermore, the players are falling like dominoes. On3 reported on November 30 that the Buffaloes linebacker Mantrez Walker plans to transfer. 

Before that, Class of 2026 safety D’Montae Tims flipped his commitment from Colorado to the Indiana Hoosiers. Recruiting hit a wall for the Buffs, as Deion’s squad fell to No. 102 nationally and dead last in the Big 12, according to 247Sports.

Deion’s 11-man recruiting haul sits seventh in the Big 12 by average player rating. Now the Buffs have set their sights on their top target: Sacramento State’s highest-rated commit, Xavier McDonald.

Who will they lean on to seal the deal? The person they will lean on has to be Deion Sanders’ latest hire, Brennan Marion.

His latest recruiting haul at Sacramento State outpaced Colorado’s, ranking 77th compared to the Buffs’ 103rd, per 247Sports. Now we’ll see how Deion’s staff changes play out and whether they pay off.