College football carousel teaches Sac State President Luke Wood a lesson | Opinion
NCAA Division I football is built on tradition. For Sacramento State — which is trying to reach the college game’s highest level, the Football Bowl Subdivision — this means more than chasing wins, but building something enduring. Establishing and celebrating tradition is the heartbeat of a program that lasts. Without a strong sense of continuity and identity, momentum fades and opportunities slip away.
University President Luke Wood just learned that lesson.
His highly touted football coach, Brennan Marion, exited his post last week after just one season to take a job as Colorado’s offensive coordinator. Marion was the face of the Hornets’ planned, but still not realized, ascension to the FBS. His abandoning of Sac State’s top job sends a message that the university isn’t good enough. Sadly, it’s not quite surprising considering Marion has left 14 coaching positions in the last 16 years.
Wood brought Marion to Sacramento with a $1 million package, yet the program is left with a 7-5 record and the loss of key recruits.
Despite this, Wood, who supported Marion from the start, is praising him.
“Marion is now going to coach for the most famous coach in the entire country [Deion Sanders], and is getting paid significantly more than we could afford to pay within our resources here,” Wood said of Marion in an interview Monday with KCRA-3 TV. We’re not losing coaches to bad places.
“Yes, I wish he could have stayed, but I am also happy that he’s chasing his dream now. In terms of the students, that’s where my primary concern is,” Wood said. “And stability is definitely a key factor that we’re considering for the next coach. It’s got to be because we don’t want to have a situation where, you know, where it’s a revolving door.”
What Wood didn’t acknowledge was his role in the Marion debacle. Wood’s failed push to elevate Sac State into the FBS means the school will have no conference in which to compete next year (at least as of right now) resulting in a patchwork schedule of opponents. Wood didn’t need to move this fast. Sac State could’ve stayed in the Big Sky conference and let Marion begin building ... a tradition.
The Hoosier, Commodore examples
College football success can take years. Two programs finally broke through this season after years of being doormats.
On Saturday, Indiana beat Ohio State in a thrilling game, winning their first-ever Big Ten Championship and earning the No. 1 seed in the FBS playoffs.
That’s right, the team with the worst winning percentage in Big Ten history and the most losses of any program is now its conference champion.
To set up that success, they signed head coach Curt Cignetti to an eight-year contract running through November 30, 2033, averaging about $11.6 million annually. It’s another lesson of what works: Money talks.
Vanderbilt, once the laughingstock of the SEC, is no longer a joke. The Commodores were ranked as high as No. 9 this year. The only other time they were ranked higher was in 1937.
Both programs show that perseverance through adversity leads to meaningful, lasting progress. True success is built not by those who leave, but by those who commit to the journey and the community.
No quick fixes
When Marion was hired by Sac State a year ago, President Wood seemed to accept — even welcome — the idea of a coach leaving after a short time. But that mentality cannot foster meaningful growth or stability. Sacramento State in no way should be seen as a revolving door or a place where you can only be for one or two years.
The college football carousel can be unforgiving at times. Just ask Ole Miss, whose entire program crumbled as Lane Kiffin said goodbye to the Hoddy Toddy and accepted a head coaching job at LSU. But in no way should a program welcome it. Creating a college football program is the longest journey a school can take. It can be grueling for the staff, alumni, and student body.
As Sac State pursues its next chapter, now is the moment to double down on building tradition. The foundation for success is laid in the actions of today — by supporting coaches and players who are committed to the long haul, by investing in the community, and by refusing to settle for quick fixes. Sac State can choose to become a program that stands for loyalty, pride, and perseverance, inspiring future generations. If a move to the FBS isn’t in the cards quickly, Wood should find a conference that the school and its new coach can call home as that tradition is built.
The hiring process should be led by this one idea: Be more than a stepping stone — build tradition.
This story was originally published December 9, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
