Sacramento State Hornets head football coach Brennan Marion is leaving the program after just one season to become the offensive coordinator for Deion Sanders's Colorado Buffaloes, CBS News Sacramento has learned.

Marion leaves Sac State following his first-ever college head coaching job, leading the Hornets to a 7-5 record overall and 5-3 in the Big Sky Conference, missing the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision playoffs.

He was hired in December 2024 following a two-year stint as offensive coordinator at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where the Rebels' "GoGo" offensive scheme ranked 14th in the FBS with 36.2 points per game in 2024. Marion's coaching career also includes stops at Texas, Pittsburgh, and Hawaii.

Before joining the college coaching ranks, he was the head coach at St. Patrick-St. Vincent High School in Vallejo, and played wide receiver at De Anza Junior College in Cupertino and at Tulsa. In 2009, Marion signed a free agent contract with the Miami Dolphins, but never played in a game following a knee injury.

Marion will take over a Colorado offense that averaged less than 21 points a game, with the team finishing with a 3-9 record in 2025. Meanwhile, Sac State averaged over 33 points and 425 yards a game in 2025, ranking 3rd in total offense in the Big Sky Conference.

Sac State is still trying to find a home in the FBS after leaving the Big Sky Conference, and its upcoming 2026 schedule is also incomplete. Marion's departure comes fresh off National Signing Day, where the Hornets had one of the top 2026 recruiting classes in FCS football.