This past weekend was a big one for college football, and that holds true for Brennan Marion as the former UNLV offensive coordinator was named the new head football coach at Sacramento State University.
Marion has been one of the top offensive coordinators in the country over his two seasons at UNLV. This season the Rebels set a school record by averaging 36.2 ppg, ranking them 14th in the FBS. They also averaged 251.2 rushing yards per game, which is the most by the program in over 45 years.
Those numbers, coupled with his leadership, is why Sacramento State was so high on Marion and also why he was named one of the five finalists for the Football Scoop Offensive Coordinator of the Year.
“Coach Marion is the perfect fit for our football program, our department, our University, and our community,” said Director of Athletics Mark Orr in a statement. “His demonstrated success in recruiting promising student-athletes and maximizing their talents will help us return our football program to winning conference championships. I’m confident Coach Marion possesses the dynamic ability to cultivate impactful relationships with internal and external constituents surrounding Hornet football. He will lead the student-athletes in our program to reach and surpass their aspirations of achievement both on and off the field.”
In the 2023 season, Marion was named the Mountain West Wire Coordinator of the Year and was nominated for the prestigious Broyles Award in just his first season at UNLV. In that season, according to the release, “The team scored 40+ points in a school-record six games and had 24 points in a school-record 10 straight games. The Rebels finished sixth in the FBS in third-down conversions (49.3 percent), tied for eighth in red-zone offense (93.1 percent) and 22ndΒ in scoring (34.4 ppg).”
During his two years in Las Vegas, the team went 19-8 overall and made two bowl games.
“I’m truly honored by the heartfelt welcome from President Luke Wood and Director of Athletics Mark Orr to be the program’s next head football coach,” Marion said. “Sacramento State is fully invested in becoming a nationally known football program, and I’ve always relished the opportunity to build and create. My family and I can’t wait to serve the student-athletes of this program and the Sacramento community. As a University, we’re going to write history and work tirelessly to build something that the community will be proud of for generations to come.”
Marion was a record-setting receiver at Tulsa (2007-08), amassing 2,356 yards and 19 TDs on 82 receptions. He was also a 2x All-C-USA selection and the 2007 C-USA Newcomer of the Year. He also set NCAA records for yards per catch in a season (31.9 in 2007) and in a career (28.7).
He began his coaching career in 2011 as the wide receivers coach at West Valley CC in California and then made stops at schools including Arizona St., Howard, William & Mary, Hawaii, Pittsburgh and Texas before arriving at UNLV as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
Ironically, Marion was the offensive coordinator at Howard in 2017 when the Bison beat UNLV 43-40, one of the biggest upsets in college football history
