A 3-9 memory is now haunting everyone in the Colorado Buffaloes squad. And for scripting a turnaround story in 2026, physical output comes later. In the off-season, it’s the mentality that prepares them for the season ahead. So, Deion Sanders’ new offensive coordinator, Brennan Marion, is now putting the players on high alert with his speech. 

“Fellows, we cannot give you a motivational speech every day to come out here and work. It shouldn’t take a guy calling you out, cussing you out, screaming at you, motivating you to turn up,” said Deion’s newly added coach, Marion, all charged up. “My boys over here, you do something! Make your s–t work!”

Deion knew exactly what he was looking for when he stripped the former offensive coordinator of his play-calling duties. A few days later, Deion counted on the architect behind the “Go-go” offense, the Sacramento head coach, Marrion. This was his first spring practice in Boulder, and he has already tapped into Deion’s energy. 

Offensive struggles have been a theme for Colorado throughout the 2025 season. Their average? 20.9 points per game. Their ranking? 116th in the nation. So, Marion can already feel the pressure to revive Deion’s unit, which never found its rhythm. It came from the lack of stability as Coach Prime kept trying out multiple quarterbacks on offense, giving birth to a dysfunctional offense.

Deion’s offense fell like a fish out of water in the air attack, too. Colorado finished 95th in the country with an average of 202.8 pass yards per game. Their run game, too, was missing in action, with just 125.58 yards per game, leaving them with a 104th rank nationally. With no consistency on the ground, the Buffs were forced into predictable passing situations.

With Marion now stepping in, he has a big responsibility on his shoulders to fix the swamp. He can’t afford to have any players in his unit with a laid-back attitude. After all, Marion has arrived from Sacramento State, whose offense averaged 33.75 points per game.

He brings with him the “Go-Go” offense, which is an uptempo scheme built around a shotgun quarterback and a two-running-back backfield. The design emphasizes pace, versatility, and constant pressure on opposing defenses. Marion’s video reminds us of one of the recent speeches by Colorado defensive coordinator Chris Marve, who, too, stressed a hard-nosed attitude among the players. 

“We’re not suffocating the ball carrier, we’re playing soft, soft. That’s not a unit that I coach. You understand that?” came from a charged-up Marve. 

Meanwhile, the pressure gets even higher for Marion to prove himself to Deion.  

Brennan Marion matched the vibe with Deion Sanders

For Marrion, good relationships have always formed the foundation of his rise in the career. On the Locked on Buffs podcast, Colorado’s offensive coordinator revealed how a conversation he had with Deion left a mark on him. 

“We met, and it was more like, wow. We just had that type of synergy. For me, that’s what it’s going to take for me to move,” Marion said. “For me, that relationship with Coach Prime had to be right, and so when we met face to face…I was like, ‘Perfect. This works for me.’”

Another reason for Marion to feel the heat in Colorado? At Deion’s squad, Marion will arguably have the most talent he’s ever worked with. He has redshirt freshman quarterback Julian “JuJu” Lewis. Along with the Buffaloes players, Marion got his trusted lieutenants from Sacramento State to Deion’s Colorado. Ernest Campbell, Jose Soto, Jaquail Smith, and Damian Henderson II all packed their bags and brought their talent to Boulder this offseason.

So, the confidence is already running high with Deion’s coach, to be sharing the same mindset with the head coach.

“My gift has always been developing young men, coaching football, and that connected me with Coach Prime. I think our trajectory here, we can do really great things at Colorado,” said Marion. 

Deion can not afford any mess-ups this time. In one of their latest spring practices, a scuffle broke out among the players. Even then, Deion appreciated the high-spirited fight but stressed working as a team.

“Somebody got their b—s kicked. I don’t mind that,” said Deion But we’re going to keep it wholesome. You go to the ground, you stop. We’re teammates.”

So, with both Brennan Marion and Deion Sanders dialed up, it’s now the players’ responsibility to give in their 100%.