UNLV Officially Announces Brennan Marion As Offensive Coordinator

The Texas Longhorns have lost one of their top assistants, Brennan Marion, who has been hired as the UNLV offensive coordinator

Brennan Marion had been arguably the top assistant on the Texas Longhorns staff since being hired in 2021. 

And now, he is on the move, with the UNLV Rebels officially announcing Marion as their offensive coordinator on Tuesday.

One of the most sought-after up-and-coming coaches in the country as of late, Marion had surfaced as a top candidate for the opening with the Tulsa Golden Hurricane but was ultimately passed over for the job.

However, it wasn't long until UNLV and new coach Barry Odom came calling. 

"I'm excited to welcome Coach Marion to Las Vegas because his innovative ideas on offense will give us an advantage," said Odom. "Our offensive staff will be able to blend together their ideas to schematically give our student-athletes an exciting and explosive offense to play in at UNLV. Coach Marion is a perfect fit for our program and I look forward to watching him develop and mentor our guys."

And the opportunity was simply too hard to pass up.

"I'm extremely grateful for Coach Odom and the opportunity to build a dynamic offense that the UNLV football community can celebrate and be proud of," said Marion. "I've always been enamored by the UNLV program and its brand because I've always had a rebel mindset. The ability to serve my purpose with our student-athletes and help them reach their full potential on and off the field is a responsibility that I don't take lightly. Let's Go Go Rebel Family!"

As a player at Tulsa, Marion led the nation with a staggering 31.9 yards per reception in his first season, finishing with 39 catches for 1,244 yards and 11 touchdowns. The next season, Marion once again finished with elite numbers, catching 43 passes for 1,112 yards and eight scores.

After a brief stint in the NFL, Marion then moved into the coaching profession.

Before coming to the Longhorns from the Pittsburgh Panthers, Marion was already one of the top wide receivers coaches in the country, and a fast riser in the industry.

Marion came to the Panthers in 2021 after a stop at Hawaii, helping the Panthers improve into one of the best passing offenses in college football.

The Panthers finished 2021 ranking No. 5 in the nation in passing, averaging 350.2 yards per game.

The 34-year-old was also instrumental in former Pittsburgh and now USC wideout Jordan Addison winning the 2021 Biletnikoff award, which goes to the nation's top wide receiver.

Addison wrapped up his sophomore campaign with 93 catches for 1,479 yards and 17 touchdowns, averaging 113.8 yards per contest.

Now, Texas must be on the hunt for a new wide receivers coach and will leave no stone unturned in that process. 

However, finding someone who is as innovative and talented as Marion, who can also recruit at his level, would be a tall task for any program. 


You can follow Matt Galatzan on Twitter @MattGalatzan

Want to see the Horns in action? Get your Texas Longhorns game tickets from SI Tickets here!

Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Longhorns? Click Here to Subscribe to the Longhorns Country Newsletter

Want even more Texas Longhorns? Check out the SI.com team page here

Follow Longhorns Country on Twitter and Facebook.

Make sure to subscribe to the Longhorns Country Podcast today! Click here To Listen.


Published
Matt Galatzan
MATT GALATZAN

Matt Galatzan is the Managing Editor and Publisher of Texas Longhorns On SI and Texas A&M Aggies On SI and a long-time member of the Football Writer’s Association of America. He graduated from the University of Mississippi, where he studied integrated marketing communications, with minors in journalism and business administration. Galatzan started in the sports journalism industry in 2014 covering the Dallas Mavericks and SMU Mustangs with 247Sports. He then moved to Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation network in 2020, eventually being taking over as the Managing Editor and Publisher of the Longhorns and Aggies sites a year later. You can find Galatzan on all major social media channels, including Twitter on @MattGalatzan.