They won the big sky three times and made the playoffs last year, so that shows the potential. I agree the Sac12 thing is weird - how can a coach be ready to play at FBS level in less than 2 years?

I don’t mean to be rude, but Sacramento State is getting messy with these leaks. They need to tighten up their operation. I’m sure it will all work out, but at this point, it’s embarrassing. Hire a coach and move on to bigger and better things.

Yes, it sure is messy and certainly isn't very professional with all the leaks and hyperbole. They're doing their best not to be a class act. Whoever they hire is going to have a big rebuilding job. A whole bunch of their players fled to the portal after Thompson resigned.

What team will they have next year? Is Conklin leaving too?

Conklin entered the transfer portal the day of or the day after Thompson announced he was jumping to Stanford to work under Taylor again.

Probably not very attractive. I mean, Troy Taylor showed it was possible to have success there but they've been in the FCS since 1993 and 2019 was their first playoff appearance at that level. They also only made 1 appearance in the DII playoffs. Their media guide tells me only 2 of their head coaches have ever had a winning record. Prior to Taylor, the last time they won 8 games in a season was 1991. So 2019 was the first season in FCS that they won 8+ games.

So while Taylor showed you can win at Sac State, 6 other coaches have shown it's not an easy task at the FCS level.

Is that true? I thought they were speculating he would jump but i didn't think i saw anything definitive. I know the guy who was sharing the spot but got hurt jumped (boy, they are crucifying that kid!), but i must have missed the Conklin post.

According to this site, he's not in the portal....

https://247sports.com/college/sacramento-state/season/2025-football/transferportal/?institutionkey=24133

1. KCRA reporting that Sac HAS hired Marion as the new head coach.
2. Nothing on the Sac sports site says that Conklin entered the portal. Scudero did, but has not signed with anyone and of course Sac fans are hoping he withdraws from the portal if Marion signs, which as noted he apparently has.

Long time no talk, all! I don't know if it's my old age but I've really grown a soft spot for UC Davis football in the last few years and have enjoyed watching the program grow. I think it's great for our area to have both these programs thrive.

I personally agree about the "sloppiness of the leaks," at Sac State. it's not my style and I keep facepalming every time a new planted rumor comes out. But I also acknowledge that times have changed and the old college football that we all knew and loved is pretty much dead. College football is now a show and the new school president is very out there in terms of exposure. And to be honest, I'd rather have someone who tries for the moon and fails rather than play it safe, even if it blows up in our face 3/4's of the time. Cause we do seem to hit it right every once in awhile, however fleeting...(I heart you Troy T).

Will it work? Hard to know.

But I can say that for the first time in my lifetime the Sac State coaching vacancy was front page news on ESPN and covered extensively on a national level for almost a week, resulting in a public falling out by two noted ESPN hosts (Shefter and Gottlieb) fighting on social media about Sac State. I heard from friends and family from around the country asking me for the first time about Sac State football, **cough Michael Vick cough**

From what I heard, Brennan was the choice all along and the rest was for show.

My 2 Cents: No way in hell Sac State gets in the new Pac12. They would be lucky and should jump at a deal like yours with the MWC if they are lucky enough to get offered. I also predict any new stadium built will be shared with the Republic FC, most likely downtown....Just my gut.

I’ll see your two cents raise you my two cents. Just common sense says any FCS school couldn’t be ready to compete in 2026 especially with the new scholarship limits (not just football, 15 other sports). Add in the facility needs and seems like a non-starter. Heck, Sac has an ‘interim’ basketball coach - that’s a pretty important sport in the Pac12. Maybe that’s too short term a vision, but a gradual move like ours seems to make much more sense

No brainer for Sac to make the same move (non football - w/ plan to move up) to the MWC, IMO.

Thanks for your informative post, PhantomHornet. I think you're spot on about your take on what's happening with Sac football. It sounds like the Hornets have found themselves a dynamic, young, up and coming head coach and I don't expect that it will take him very long to bring the program back up to speed. Keep us posted on how you see things evolving.

Marion has a very unique offense that was effective at UNLV this last season. The Go-Go offense is almost like a triple option offense, but one that's not terrified to throw the ball. It'll be interesting to see how quickly he can get it up and running at Sac. I think this is a good hire for the Hornets, BUT he's done nothing but move up the coaching ladder and has never stayed in 1 singular coaching position longer than 2 seasons so if he finds quick success it'll be interesting to see how long he sticks around.

2011 - West Valley (WR)
2012 - Harker School (CA) (WR)
2013 - St. Patrick-St. Vincent HS (CA)
2014 - Waynesboro Area HS (PA)
2015 - Arizona State (OQC)
2016 - Oklahoma Baptist (RB)
2017–2018 - Howard (OC/QB)
2019 - William & Mary (OC/QB)
2020 - Hawaii (WR)
2021 - Pittsburgh (WR)
2022 - Texas (PGC/WR)
2023–2024 - UNLV (OC/QB)
2025 - Sacramento State (HC)

The Sacramento Observer

"Marion’s up-tempo offense is specifically designed to run the ball downhill. It’s about tempo and spacing, using multiple formations to get favorable matchups to run the ball. Its main formation is aligning the quarterback in the shotgun with two backs to one side. Marion, in an earlier interview with the Athletic website, said the go-go offense is predicated on chunk plays, which come from teams overcommitting to stop the run.

“ 'How you play without the ball determines how much you love your teammates,” Marion said during a coaching clinic, emphasizing that selflessness and spreading the ball around are among the keys to success. While most college offenses average 60-65 plays per game, the go-go offense strives to average 80.' "

https://sacobserver.com/2024/12/brennan-marion-hired-as-sacramento-states-first-black-head-football-coach/

BREAKING NEWS: AFTER WHAT FEELS LIKE 3 MONTHS, SAC STATE HAS OFFICIALLY ANNOUNCED BRENNAN MARION AS HEAD COACH. THIS COMES AFTER A NATIONAL SEARCH INCLUDED MARION, MIKE VICK, SCOOBY DOO, AND FORMER PRESIDENT JIMMY CARTER…

In all seriousness, good hire, should keep the causeway classic competitive!

For what it's worth, Conklin tweeted, Xed, TikTokked, or Instagrammed, or somethinged, that he is staying with Sac and Coach Marion.

Transfers also starting to roll in...

https://x.com/mzenitz/status/1871033198299476265

Rodney Hammond Jr. spent his first collegiate season with former Pitt wide receivers coach Brennan Marion, and now he’ll spend his last with Marion.

Hammond — a 5-foot-9, 200-pound running back from Booker T. Washington in Norfolk, Va. — committed to Sacramento State on Sunday night, Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports reported. He entered the transfer portal earlier this month, which wasn’t an unexpected outcome to his career in Pittsburgh.

Sacramento State hired Marion, who served as the Pitt wide receivers coach in 2021, Texas wide receivers coach in 2022 and UNLV offensive coordinator in 2023-24, as its next head coach earlier this week.

It’s a nice landing spot for Hammond, who will join an offensive scheme that takes advantage of his skillset on the ground and through the air.

Hammond initially committed to Pitt as a three-star recruit in the class of 2021, earning playing time immediately as a true freshman. He showed flashes during his tenure in Pittsburgh, but for whatever reason (coaching decisions or a team-imposed suspension), he wasn’t able to put it all together.

He was suspended at the start of this season, missing the first four games of the season, but he was reinstated before the North Carolina game. He played in just four games — deciding to sit out and preserve his eligibility after playing four games.

https://pittsburghsportsnow.com/2024/12/22/former-pitt-rb-rodney-hammond-jr-reuniting-with-brennan-marion/#google_vignette

I bet the transfer portal is filled with stories like Rodney's. Great athletes who are one move away from making it to the next level, or from peaking where they are. Sounds like a good one for Sac if things are clicking and they apparently clicked with Coach Marion. Sac lost an RB and now gained one.

Sac's new HC is pulling in FBS transfers fast:

Marion continues to mine the portal:

The college game sure has changed.

The new HC used to bring in his entire new staff........now he brings in an entire team.

what’s crazy is how quickly they signed guys. Unless the coach was trying to get them to come to Vegas initially

It's hard to believe that Marion has coached at 10 different schools in the past 10 years. I'm not sure if that's a good thing but it certainly shows that he is highly ambitious. As a result, he's got a whole lot of connections nationwide and he has formed relationships with a whole lot of players as well. Some of them are in the portal and he's going after them. It's easier to recruit players who already know him and have played for him. Sac may have caught lightening in a bottle...guess we'll find our next season...

2011 - West Valley (WR)
2012 - Harker School (CA) (WR)
2013 - St. Patrick-St. Vincent HS (CA)
2014 - Waynesboro Area HS (PA)
2015 - Arizona State (OQC)
2016 - Oklahoma Baptist (RB)
2017–2018 - Howard (OC/QB)
2019 - William & Mary (OC/QB)
2020 - Hawaii (WR)
2021 - Pittsburgh (WR)
2022 - Texas (PGC/WR)
2023–2024 - UNLV (OC/QB)
2025 - Sacramento State (HC)

They probably keep in contact w recruits they connected with but didn't sign, as well as star camp attendees.

He's in high demand, and the early moves are completely understandable. Coaches like him, Nathaniel Hackett, Khari Jones, Burl Toler, Gus Argenal (basketball) move, learn from lots of people, absorb, and move on.

Up-and-coming African American coaches are in especially high demand. It's easier, and more visible, to hire a black coach than a black chemistry professor.

Sac adds 3 star safety out of Missouri and more. It's amazing how fast Marion is moving and getting commitments:

Man, you guys are just a bunch of haters here. How does an 11-3 team board become so infatuated with a 3-9 team? All these posts praying our top Sac st players to go into the portal, constant posts dedicated to tracking Sac St fb developments every couple minutes (you have better tracking of our recruits than us lol). On Sac St fb board, We don’t have one post focused on UCD outside of causeway. even in our down year, for the most part we root for UCD outside of causeway. All the disrespect calling us janitors is just bs. I bet I make more money than most of you on here.

I don’t think a single person on this thread cares how much you make dude. Banter and disrespect are different things. I think everyone in this sub tracks sac because it’s a fun rivalry and it’s interesting seeing who they bring in and what next years competition will look like (especially with an interesting hire like they just got). I think most people here want sac to succeed as well (I don’t know anyone who would want to move conferences, change schedules, etc and NOT have sac every year). I think people on here also are interested in observing and commenting on sac state stadium and larger athletics department news because yall are right across the causeway, share similar media markets, are rivals in sports, and constantly interact as school entities. I don’t think it’s disrespectful to critique some of the negotiating/ communication moves that sac has made in relation to stadium and conference announcements. Most people here want to see sac succeed, and seeing some ways of making moves from the sac side as over the top, unrealistic, or reckless comes from a place of interest and care not wanting y’all to collapse or something.