Stingers way up: New Sacramento State football coach lands top FCS transfer portal class
Brennan Marion is a recruiter.
He can work a room. Wow a player with innovative ideas. And charm a football prospect’s mother and grandmother on the values of teamwork, accountability and an education. He can talk old-school blocking, tackling and scoring on top of his new-era “Go-Go” offense that blends throwback fullback plays and over-the-top touchdown bombs.
And there’s another card up the sleeve of the newly hired Sacramento State football coach: the zest of school president Luke Wood.
“I saw a video of him getting hyphy at a graduation, and I was like ‘Me and him can really get along!’” Marion said during his introductory news conference Wednesday, adding later that he sent clips of the fired-up Wood to recruits, who responded that they’d never seen such a cool thing.
On the topic of new and fresh, Sacramento State plans to replace archaic Hornet Stadium, in use since 1969, with a state-of-the-art 25,000-seat football stadium as it continues its quest to realign into the higher-level FBS, something Wood said this past week “will happen.”
What’s more, Sacramento State is constructing a new 25,000 square-foot football facility on its J Street campus that should be completed by the end of February. That’s just in time for spring ball when a new era officially arrives for a program that put years of mediocrity and misery to bed by winning Big Sky Conference championships in 2019, 2021 and 2022 under coach Troy Taylor, now at Stanford. The Hornets reached the FCS playoffs in 2023 before an injury-ravaged 2024 season.
On Thursday, the Hornets draped a long sign over a campus building with school-color green lettering that read Marion’s motto of: “One great year can change your life.”
How the Hornets rank in recruiting
But talk is one thing. What about results?
Since Marion’s hiring on Dec. 19, Marion has worked the phones, emails, Zoom calls and in person to land quite a haul of players, including some who were three- or four-star recruits in high school and played at FBS programs across the country. He has secured commitments from linemen, defensive backs and skill players — 23 midyear transfers in all — either through the junior college route or from the transfer portal.
ThePortalReport.com ranked Sacramento State as having secured the best class in all of the FCS and the ninth best class overall behind nine FBS programs: Missouri, Texas Tech, Indiana, Kansas, Oregon, Auburn and Rutgers.
“He is cooking right now,” Wood said of his coach. “He’s got a big vision and it’s happening.”
Said Hornets athletic director Mark Orr: “Brennan’s already made a big impact. I can’t wait to see how it turns out. Can’t wait to see this ‘Go-Go’ offense. With a fullback. Can you imagine how cool that is?”
Marion said he’s been moved by the amount of interest in his program, saying, “A lot of our players committed to us sight unseen. Some of them have never even been to California, but they like what we offer, like what we’re about, and so much of this is relationships. You get to know people.”
Marion has stressed through statewide and national recruiting and in visiting local high schools, including regional powerhouse programs such as the Grant Pacers and Folsom Bulldogs, that he and his revamped staff seek specific players. Yes, every coach wants a defensive stopper and a playmaker, but Marion said he wants a bit more.
“We want young men who have these three things: heart, intelligence and toughness,” Marion said. “If you love the game, if you’re disciplined and accountable, you can be excellent at it.”
The coach added of the players he has secured: “We’re getting the best and the brightest from across the country, and we’re recruiting players who love football and want to do big things. We want young men who will make an impact in academics, to be good students. You can’t play football forever. You need an education, a degree. I know that.”
Marion grew up in Pennsylvania, where he was a multi-sport star. He played junior college football in the Bay Area, at Foothill College and De Anza College, and then earned a full athletic scholarship to Tulsa University in Oklahoma, where he set NCAA receiving records in 2007 and 2008.
Three devastating knee ligament tears in his left knee derailed Marion’s professional playing hopes, so he focused on being a coach and leader. At 37, he is a head college football coach for the first time, following assistant coaching stops across the country, including as offensive coordinator at UNLV in 2023 and 2024, where he helped boost the program’s best season in 40 years.
Players have to earn NIL compensation
On the fly, Marion and his staff are learning more about the transfer portal and NIL — how players can be compensated through name, image and likeness. It’s one thing to navigate these waters as an assistant coach. It’s entirely different as the head coach in charge of an entire program.
“It’s different in college football now,” Marion said. “In today’s NIL world, it’s a ‘me’ society. Instagram, social media, parents and trainers are all telling players how great they are. I think NIL can be a good thing. I like it.
“But our guys are going to have to earn their compensation, and that includes serving the Sacramento community. We want them in the community and to give back and not just take.”
Marion added, “We’re about winning. We’re going to have an excellent product on the field, and we’ll be excellent in the community. We want to be humble and hungry, and we want to raise championships.”
New Hornets signed
Sacramento State’s signees as of Saturday are:
▪ Dean Abdullah, an offensive lineman who prepped at local Antelope High School and starred at American River College in Sacramento before accepting a scholarship to San Diego State.
▪ Hayden Anderson, a three-star recruit by 247Sports who had 3,444 yards receiving and 61 total scores at Windsor High School of Sonoma County.
▪ Jordan Anderson, a receiver from Oregon State who was a four-star recruit coming out of Newport High in Los Angeles County, where he caught 99 passes for 995 yards and nine scores as a senior.
▪ Miles Bailey, a defensive lineman who played at Murray State in 2024 and is a graduate from Benicia High School in Solano County.
▪ Elias Brown, a running back out of Rocklin High School who earned junior college All-American honors in 2024 with American River College while rushing for 1,148 yards and 16 scores.
▪ Timothy Conerly, a receiver from UNLV where he played under Marion. Conerly goes by “Flash” and appeared in 16 games at UNLV after playing two seasons at Fresno City College.
▪ Jamar Curtis, a running back from Lafayette, where he was a two-time first-team all-Patriot League selection and a two-time Walter Payton Award finalist that goes to the top player in the FCS. He rushed for 3,064 yards and 32 touchdowns in three seasons at Lafayette.
▪ Jayden Davis, an Oakland native who played in 10 games in the secondary for Idaho State in 2024 after a season at Central Michigan.
▪ Taison Fa’asuamanu, a linebacker who earned all-Mountain East Conference honors last season at West Liberty. He is from Waianae, Hawaii.
▪ Joseph Firebaugh, a kicker who played three seasons at UCLA who also played receiver and volleyball in high school in San Diego.
▪ James Jones, a running back from Baltimore who played the 2024 at Lousiana Monroe, rushing for 416 yards and five touchdowns.
▪ Ricky Lee III, a cornerback who spent two seasons at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, or UAB, and he led his Georgia high school team to a state championship.
▪ Sammy Norris, a fullback who played at Colorado State and UNLV. He started his college career as an offensive lineman.
▪ Damien McDaniel, a redshirt at UNLV as a defensive back in 2024 who was a three-star defensive back recruit out of Texas.
▪ Brennon Scott, a defensive lineman who played four seasons at UNLV and was a four-star recruit in high school in Texas.
▪ Brodie Tagaloa, a defensive lineman who played tight end and defensive line at Nebraska and was a three-star recruit at De La Salle High in the Bay Area.
▪ Logan Tanner, a tight end who spent the last three seasons at San Diego State and was an all-state performer in high school in Texas.
▪ DeSean Watts, a defensive lineman from Fresno City College who earned all-Valley League honors after recording 5.0 tackles and 8.5 tackles for loss in 2024.
▪ Cardell Williams, a 6-foot-2, 185-pound dual-threat quarterback from Tulsa, where he passed for 1,149 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2023.
▪ Jordan Williams, a tight end who played in 20 games at Colorado State the last two seasons and a three-star recruit out of Riverside High in Southern California.
▪ Jace Wilson, a receiver who played 29 games at the University of Texas at San Antonio, or UTSA. He helped power his high school team to a Texas state championship.