New Colorado offensive coordinator Brennan Marion has a message for the critics saying the Buffs are "too small"

The offseason narrative around Deion Sanders' program has nothing to do with scheme or quarterback play, there has been a lot of chatter about the tape measure and the scale. 

College football fans and rival fanbases have spent the spring and summer seeing photos and clips of Colorado players circulating social media, and new offensive coordinator Brennan Marion had a short answer for them this week.

"For one, I have zero reaction, but the other one I have is...as the kids would say, pull up," Marion said during a presser earlier this week. "We're small. We're this or that, or whatever. At some point you gotta spot the ball and see."

"That's my mindset on it."

The online chatter picked up after Colorado posted a fall camp practice clip of quarterback Julian Lewis dropping a touchdown pass to receiver Quentin Gibson. Gibson is listed on the roster at 5-foot-9, 155 pounds, and he is one of about a dozen players on the roster at 170 pounds or less. Most of those are skill guys, not special teamers, and the receiver room is where it shows up most. 

There's a case to be made in the other direction, and it starts up front. Colorado is big where it counts on the lines, headlined by 375-pound nose tackle Samu Taumanupepe and 380-pound left guard Chauncey Gooden. The staff expects the offensive line to average around 315 and the defensive front to sit right around 300. That's plenty of size in the trenches, even if it won't quiet the crowd worried about the guys catching the ball.

While coaching on Steve Sarkisian's staff at Texas in 2022, he saw a unit that sent left tackle Kelvin Banks to the NFL as the No. 9 overall pick in 2025, and he says this Colorado front is stronger.

"Our O-line is better than what we had at Texas other than we don't have Kelvin Banks," Marion told The Athletic a few weeks back. "Offensive-line wise, we're better than we were at Texas. We're bigger. We're more physical." He called it the best offensive line he has ever had. That's plenty of size in the trenches, even if it won't quiet the crowd worried about the guys catching the ball.

Marion isn't a coordinator throwing out bravado to cover for a thin resume. He's the creator of the innovative and up-tempo "Go-Go" offense, and it has produced everywhere he has taken it. Over his last three seasons as a play caller, his offenses have averaged roughly 35 points per game. At UNLV, he took the Rebels from 86th in scoring offense up to 22nd in his first year on the job, and the 2024 group went 11-3, averaged 35 points a game and 6.3 yards per play, and finished No. 23 in the AP poll. 

From there he took over at Sacramento State, inherited a 3-9 roster, and went 7-5 in his one season as head coach before Sanders brought him to Boulder in December to replace Pat Shurmur. A former standout Tulsa receiver, Marion has coached at the high school level and made stops at Arizona State, Oklahoma Baptist, Howard, William & Mary, Hawaii, Pitt and Texas along the way.

He's inheriting an offense that really underperformed in 2025, when the Buffs went 3-9 and 1-8 in the Big 12 a year after a 9-4 season. Speed and quickness are the tradeoff for size, and Marion is betting they'll travel. 

The online critics also caught the attention of Deion Sanders, who felt compelled enough to address it with some stats at the end of practice today as well.

We'll find out in a few weeks whether the Buffs can back him up when they "pull up" in Atlanta, as the Buffs are set to open the season Thursday, September 3rd against Brent Key and the Georgia Tech.

Stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.