Colorado quarterback JuJu Lewis during football practice on March 2, 2026, in Boulder, Colorado. (CU Athletics)
During the process of interviewing candidates for the offensive coordinator job this past offseason, Colorado head coach Deion Sanders had one main priority in mind.
“Their points per game,” he said.
CU averaged just 20.9 points per game in 2025 under former coordinator Pat Shurmur, and Sanders knew that number had to change.
“Everybody interviewed, they averaged over 30 points per game (at previous stops),” Sanders said. “And 30 points per game is our threshold. When we score 30 points per game, we win. When we don’t, we lose.”
Sanders is 16-21 in three seasons at CU, and he’s right about that threshold. The Buffs are 13-3 when they score 30 or more points, 3-18 when they don’t.
After hitting the 30-point mark 14 times in his first two years, Sanders’ team reached that mark just twice last year and zero times in 10 games against Power Four conference opponents.
Enter Brennan Marion and his Go-Go offense, an up-tempo attack that features a strong run game and vertical passes.
“I needed toughness, that mentality,” Sanders said. “I needed somebody that was going to apply pressure and understand how we get down around here and go at it in that same type of way. And not only did we find him, but he’s more than expected. Much more.”
As head coach at Sacramento State last year, Marion’s offense averaged 33.8 points per game. The previous two years, he was the offensive coordinator at UNLV, averaging 35.4 points in 2024 and 34.4 in 2023.
Throughout the offseason and the first week of spring practice, the Buffs have started the process of finding similar success with the Go-Go. Redshirt freshman quarterback JuJu Lewis said he is “just blessed to run” the offense, and he’s got plenty of weapons around him.
Marion’s offense typically features a strong running game and the Buffs bolstered the running back room with three key additions in the offseason.
Junior Richard Young, at 5-foot-11, 210 pounds, is a big back who was a four-star recruit before going to play at Alabama. He didn’t play as much as hoped at Alabama, but comes to CU ready to contribute. Junior Damian Henderson II and sophomore Jaquail Smith both played for Marion at Sacramento State last year, with Henderson rushing for 565 yards and Smith 511. Both scored five touchdowns.
The group also features last year’s leading rusher, Micah Welch, and speedy back DeKalon Taylor, who played well early last year before an injury.
BOULDER, CO – MARCH 6:University of Colorado Boulder wide receiver Danny Scudero speaks during a spring football press conference at the UC Health Champions Center on on Friday, March 6, 2026. (Matthew Jonas/Staff Photographer)
At receiver, the Buffs are loaded with talent, expectations and excitement, and perhaps led by Danny Scudero, a transfer from San Jose State. Last year, Scudero led the country with 1,297 receiving yards and was the only player nationally to average at least 100 yards per game (108.1).
With so much talent around him, Scudero may not get the 88 catches or nearly 1,300 yards he did last year, but he wanted to be a part of the Go-Go offense.
“Coach Marion’s offense is definitely a very complex offense and it’s a very fun offense to be a part of,” the 5-9, 175-pound Scudero said. “He’s a great offensive mind and he has a lot of different ways to get people the ball. And like he’s shown at UNLV, Sac State, wherever he’s at, he’s a winner and he does what it takes to win.
“I mean, that’s kind of what intrigued me to come here was because he’s a very explosive offensive mind and having seen he’s had plenty of success with people of my stature and like the smaller receiver type of build. Um, so I just saw that and he showed a lot of interest and I really appreciated that, so it was definitely an easy decision to come to Colorado.”
DeAndre Moore, Kam Perry, Hykeem Williams, Joseph Williams, Ernest Campbell and others will all battle for playing time and targets throughout the season.
Perry, a transfer from Miami-Ohio, came to CU because he was intrigued by the offense. He was the only player in the country last year to have at least 40 catches and average at least 20 yards per catch. He finished with 43 catches for 976 yards (22.7-yard average) and six touchdowns.
“Just the ability to open up my game as far as a route runner,” Perry said of what Marion can do for him. “He lets me pretty much do whatever I feel in the moment, the route or in the plays. And he just knows how to get his guys the ball. Coming from a receiver himself, having a thousand yards, averaging 30 a catch, something that I want to do, something that the rest of our room wants to do. So he just brings a lot of fire to our team.”
That’s what Sanders hoped for when he made the hire, and with Marion leading the way, the Buffs have potential to be explosive.
“You just want to be in the position to succeed and Coach Marion does a great job with that,” Scudero said.
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