Sac State Football hiring Michael Vick!

[BigMann08]

Also looks like the search for a new coach has not yet been confirmed or finalized.

 

[ThunderRam]

Agreed on the defense. Which is why I was surprised Troy Taylor brought him to Stanford as a DC

A bit of nepotism, I believe.

In the 8 games the Hornets lost during Taylor's tenure, their defense surrendered an average of 37 ppg. They gave up 36 in the only conference loss they suffered over three seasons (to Weber State in 2019). And in the 3 postseason games, the defense surrendered 42, 24, and 66.

There might have been a TD given up by the offense or special teams in one of those games, but you get the point.

Taylor received all the flack for going 1-3 in the playoffs, not unexpected as the head coach, but it's hard to win any games when the opponent is scoring so many points.

Hopefully Thompson can turn things around at Stanford, but color me skeptical. And like you, I was surprised Coach Taylor made that move, even though they had become fast friends while at Sac State. Especially considering how quickly Thompson eroded the progress Taylor had previously made.

 

[ThunderRam]

Also looks like the search for a new coach has not yet been confirmed or finalized.

Many were jumping the gun and believing that higher bidders had entered the fray to steal Marion away, but either than didn't happen or Sac State upped their offer. Either way, if this report is true, they somehow managed to get the deal done.

I don't anticipate Marion sticking around for longer than a year or two (unless he's not overly successful), given his track history and the fact that he'll start drawing much more interest from FBS programs should the Hornets rebound from a down season under his leadership.

Unless, of course, the powers that be find a way to get the Hornets program elevated to FBS and he wants to be part of that for a longer term. I'd bet whatever contract he signs includes a clause that significantly raises his pay should Sac State elevate during his tenure.

Sacramento State hires UNLV's Brennan Marion as next head football coach

Sacramento State's head football coaching vacancy is being filled by Brennan Marion, who has been the offensive coordinator at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas since 2023.

www.kcra.com

 

[BigMann08]

Many were jumping the gun and believing that higher bidders had entered the fray to steal Marion away, but either than didn't happen or Sac State upped their offer. Either way, if this report is true, they somehow managed to get the deal done.

I don't anticipate Marion sticking around for longer than a year or two (unless he's not overly successful), given his track history and the fact that he'll start drawing much more interest from FBS programs should the Hornets rebound from a down season under his leadership.

Unless, of course, the powers that be find a way to get the Hornets program elevated to FBS and he wants to be part of that for a longer term. I'd bet whatever contract he signs includes a clause that significantly raises his pay should Sac State elevate during his tenure.

Sacramento State hires UNLV's Brennan Marion as next head football coach

Sacramento State's head football coaching vacancy is being filled by Brennan Marion, who has been the offensive coordinator at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas since 2023.

www.kcra.com

Wow!
It sounds like his career trajectory is steadily climbing with FBS (HC) ambitions clearly in sight. Hopefully, as he climbs, the school will climb too!

Losing Troy Taylor was a huge blow, and the timing was just as severe. It's understandable that Taylor had to make a move, but he really had things buzzing.

If Marion can get things back on track and elevate them even further, the community will be buzzing.

I like the contractual idea you suggest. It ensures that both parties elevate together. But if he's as good as people are saying, you're right, the suitors will come.

If that's the case, Sacramento State's administrative job becomes rather tricky. It's imperative to elevate as the coaches elevate. That means having facilities, sponsorships, and support that rival middle-of-the-pack FBS institutions.

 

[BigMann08]

It makes me wonder if the position is better suited for someone who is focused on long-term building alongside the school.

Although I think your contractual suggestion has those implications and incentives.

 

[M.C. fan]

It makes me wonder if the position is better suited for someone who is focused on long-term building alongside the school.

Although I think your contractual suggestion has those implications and incentives.

I would highly consider in hiring a California Community College Coach. Modesto Junior College, San Mateo or San Francisco City College has players and connections to those metros. If you add recruiting from the Northern and Central parts of California, you could compete at FBS level, just a thought.

 

[BigMann08]

I would highly consider in hiring a California Community College Coach. Modesto Junior College, San Mateo or San Francisco City College has players and connections to those metros. If you add recruiting from the Northern and Central parts of California, you could compete at FBS level, just a thought.

Yes that's a good idea! All the programs you mentioned are good! The ARC coach is pretty popular in these parts too.

I know there was a push for him to take over! But sounds like Marion is the guy....

 

[ThunderRam]

Yes that's a good idea! All the programs you mentioned are good! The ARC coach is pretty popular in these parts too.

I know there was a push for him to take over! But sounds like Marion is the guy....

Jon Osterhout was not only a local HS player, but also a former Hornet and “Hammerhead” in the program’s Hall of Fame.

I’m sure Coach Marion has his own guys he wants to bring in, but he couldn’t go wrong adding Osterhout to his staff. I’ve read that Kris Richardson and Bobby Fresques also hope to stay with the program. Richardson is a good coach and keeping him could help ease the transition for the players.

 

[mrbig864]

Sac States new AD is a bit of an enigma. I appreciate he’s “all-in” for the Athletic Department, but I also believe he’s a bit of a “meddler”. He craves attention, and myself (and many other Alum) find him to be a little too fond of himself. I also am aware that he has found that being “President” at Sac State, doesn’t mean he’s in charge. He’s run into some issues on campus in pushing one of his babies “Combat U”. Money at Sac State has a different value. If it cost a private entity $1M to build something, it would cost $2M at Sac State. Between all the government red-tape, ridiculous living wage rules, MWBE, and too many cooks in the kitchen; it’s tough to get anything done,

Here’s hoping Marion gets the Hornets back on track, the Transfer portal wasn’t kind to them over the past few weeks.

 

[mrbig864]

And if they go outside the program for the hire, do coaches like Richardson and Fresques make a move to Stanford?

TBH, I can’t see how they keep Fresques if Marion is the hire. If they do, I’d have a hard time thinking it would be as the OC. It would make very little sense for a new HC, who was known as an OC who has his own offensive scheme, to keep a returning OC. Richardson is a good fit, so we’ll see.

 

[ThunderRam]

Sac States new AD is a bit of an enigma. I appreciate he’s “all-in” for the Athletic Department, but I also believe he’s a bit of a “meddler”. He craves attention, and myself (and many other Alum) find him to be a little too fond of himself. I also am aware that he has found that being “President” at Sac State, doesn’t mean he’s in charge.

I was a tad confused by your response at first, but noticed you later said “president”. Because Mark Orr is and has been a pretty good AD.

As for Luke Wood, yeah, I pretty much agree with your assessment. I’ve been skeptical about him from the get go, as he was once on the Dr. Phil show defending extremist ideology prior to his hire at Sac State.

That said, I do agree that he’s been a positive wrt buying into athletics and pushing toward new heights. But he definitely does come off as a meddler and attention seeker, as does his brother who is part of the SAC-12 group.

However, if they accomplish positive things at Sac State, I couldn’t care less.

 

[ThunderRam]

TBH, I can’t see how they keep Fresques if Marion is the hire. If they do, I’d have a hard time thinking it would be as the OC. It would make very little sense for a new HC, who was known as an OC who has his own offensive scheme, to keep a returning OC. Richardson is a good fit, so we’ll see.

I don’t see any chance of Fresques being OC. Not only was he underwhelming this past season, Marion is a far superior offensive mind and almost certainly will want the job himself.

Kris Richardson, Cherokee Valeria, and Donnell Pumphrey are the incumbent coaches I’d most like to see stick around.