Steve Sarkisian made a few changes to this coaching staff after his first season as the Longhorns head coach. Bringing in Tashard Choice, Brennan Marion, and Gary Patterson.
First, Sarkisian brought in Tashard Choice as the runningbacks coach to replace Stan Drayton. Drayton left for the Temple head coaching job after the season.
Next, Sarkisian let wide receivers coach Andre Coleman go after a disappointing recruiting cycle. Sarkisian then brought in Brennan Marion to replace him, one of the rising stars among coaches. Bringing along with him a new and exciting style of offense. Sark and the offensive staff can learn from him, which we will get into soon.
Finally, Sarkisian brought in Gary Patterson to become an analyst. With his job title being: “special assistant to the head coach”. Although Gary Patterson has undoubtedly made a major impact on this defense and coaching staff as a whole, today we will be focusing on Brennan Marion and his offensive scheme.
Why is Brennan Marion’s Go-Go offense such a big deal? What is so special about his hire and why should Longhorn Nation be excited? Grab yourself your favorite beer, cocktail, or a cup of coffee and let’s get into it!
Brennan Marion’s History
To understand Brennan Marion’s Go-Go offense and Brennan Marion’s philosophy, it helps to understand where he came from. Knowing who taught him and where he established relationships will help us understand where he came up with the idea of this unique offense.
Brennan Marion’s Playing Career
Brennan Marion started his playing career at Foothill College, a community college in California. He then transferred to De Anza College, another community college in California for an expanded role as a wide receiver.
After a break out year at De Anza College, Marion would transfer to the University of Tulsa. While at Tulsa, Marion would meet then head coach Todd Graham and offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn. Who would both play a crucial role in getting Marion into coaching after his playing career.
Brennan Marion’s Coaching Career
Brennan Marion worked his way up at a remarkably fast pace. Becoming the head coach at St. Patrick-St. Vincent High School in 2013 at the age of 26. He would continue to bounce around and rise up the ranks until he caught his first big break.
In 2017 as Howard University’s (D1-FCS) offensive coordinator, Marion’s Go-Go offense helped propel the Bison to a win over 45-point favorites UNLV. Marion would stay at Howard University one more season before taking his Go-Go offense to William & Mary (D1-FCS) as their offensive coordinator.
Coach Marion would continue his rise and become the wide receivers coach for the University of Hawaii and Todd Graham for the 2020 season. Before again jumping to a better opportunity and landing at the University of Pittsburgh, where he again was the wide receivers coach.
There, Coach Marion would help Jordan Addison tally 107 touches for 1,649 yards and 18 touchdowns. Addison would also win the 2021 Biletnikoff trophy, awarded to the best wide receiver in the nation.
Brennan Marion’s Go-Go Offense
We mentioned the Go-Go offense before, but what exactly is so special about this offense? The Go-Go offense is based out of a two running back set — 20 or 21 personnel (2 running backs and 0 tight ends or 2 running backs and 1 tight end, respectively).
Unlike most 20 and 21 personnel teams, Marion’s offense does not use a fullback to block and a halfback to run. Both running backs have the opportunity to block or get the ball.
Brennan Marion’s philosophy is to be a power run team. They also will utilize RPO’s (run/pass option plays) in the short passing game and stretch the defense down the field with a vertical passing game. Let’s break it all down below, step by step.
The Origin of Brennan Marion’s Go-Go Offense
The Origin of the Go-Go offense is from Brennan Marion, he created this scheme from nothing. However, the inspiration of the offense comes from Marion’s interest in triple-option teams and their ‘fool-proof’ methods of always being correct. Depending on what the defense was doing, the offense always had a counter to it built into the system.
Marion wanted to re-create that in the modern game. With another major influence coming from Gus Malzahn — who is known for his uptempo, spread/zone-read offense.
Malzahn used his athletic quarterbacks in zone read plays from spread formations often, putting three or four wide receivers on the field to stretch the defense thin before running the ball up the middle with his quarterback or running back. By going no-huddle, Malzahn would also force the defense to make quick decisions and adjustments without the luxury of getting substitutions.
Brennan Marion incorporates both of these philosophies in his own way.
By putting two true running backs on the field at the same time — who will be asked to be solid pass catchers and run blockers as well as great ball carriers — Marion keeps all of his options open as a play caller and also gives the quarterback options after the play begins with read-option and run/pass-option plays.
The Principles of Brennan Marion’s Go-Go Offense
The Go-Go offense has three basic principles from an outside view. Brennan Marion, I’m sure, has a much more elaborate explanation, but from what I’ve seen on film and from what I’ve learned through his coaching clinics and his book, there are three key attributes to this offense.
1.) Play With Selflessness
“How you play without the football determines how much you love your teammates”
– Brennan Marion, from his book “Go-Go Offense”
In the Go-Go offense, the star player will not always get the ball. That would defeat the purpose of having two running backs in the backfield.
Similar to Phil Jackson’s famous “Triangle Offense” the ball should always go to the open man, while all of his teammates set him up for success in their own way.
If the defense is keying in on your superstar running back in the run game, the quarterback has to recognize it and get the ball to another playmaker or take it himself.
There is only one ball, whoever ends up with it when the play unfolds, all ten other players have to show they want their teammate to succeed as if they had the ball themselves. Football is the ultimate team game. Teammates and their love for each other has to be priority number one for every football program.
2.) Play Fast
“We want to play at an uptempo, two- minute pace at all times to create a ‘5th quarter’.”
– Brennan Marion, from his book “Go-Go Offense”
As the name would suggest, the Go-Go offense has to be fast paced. Creating an extra level of chaos for the defense. Thus giving the offense another upper-hand. By playing fast, Marion is also trying to give his offense more possessions.
As mentioned before, Gus Malzahn incorporates a similar fast paced scheme. Mike Gundy, Chip Kelly, and Lane Kiffin are a few other well-known head coaches who use this strategy. Kelly brought it to the NFL and it had some success, but it is a very popular strategy in college football to this day.
3.) Create Mismatches With Exotic Formations
“We want to stay multiple in our formations, to get favorable matchups and run our same plays”
– Brennan Marion, from his book “Go-Go Offense”
Giving the defense different formations than they are accustomed to seeing week-in and week-out creates yet another form of confusion for a defense. Moreover, creating that potential confusion causes mismatches.
Using different formations yet running the same plays also helps the offense. Instead of learning a multitude of plays to keep defenses guessing, the offense can learn less plays and run them out of these ‘exotic’ formations.
Brennan Marion’s Go-Go Offensive Formations
The way Brennan Marion aligns his running backs is also unique. While drawing inspiration from triple-option teams, Marion wanted to also keep his offense modern. Marion has seemingly found a modern twist to these historic formations. Marion keeps his quarterback in shotgun while still pulling formations from triple-option offenses.
Go-Go Offense’s FAR/NEAR Formation
Typically putting his running backs side-by-side in a “FAR/NEAR” formation, commonly used in triple option offenses.
FAR formation is when the two running backs are on the opposite side of the formation as the tight end or slot receiver. Conversely, NEAR formation is when the two running backs are on the same side of the formation as the tight end or slot receiver.
FAR and NEAR aren’t the only unique formations Coach Marion uses, but they are the staple formation of this offense.
Go-Go Offense’s STACK Right/Left Formation
Brennan Marion also utilizes a “STACK” formation, either STACK right or STACK left. The STACK formation also has roots in triple option offenses.
Advantages To These Formations
There are many advantages to having both running backs on the same side of the formation. One of them being very simple, to give the defense a different look than they are accustomed to.
Another advantage is on every run or play action play, there are potentially two ball carriers to worry about. The quarterback will pivot to the side of the running backs and hand the ball off or keep it, leaving the defense with three legit possibilities of who actually has the football.
Typically on a play-action play, defenses will recognize the ball carrier doesn’t have the ball or that the quarterback has kept it, with two ball carriers on the same side going the same way defenses have to account for both ball carriers and the quarterback incase it is a delay handoff to the second running back.
That extra hesitation could be all the offense needs to get a man open down the field. Putting pressure on the defense to not allow the big play while also forcing them to stop the run.
The biggest advantage to having two running backs on the same side of the formation, however, is that it forces the defense to play in an ‘un-balanced’ formation.
Forcing the defense to ‘overload’ a side gives the offense an advantage when running the ball to the weak-side of the formation. However, if the defense stays in a balanced formation, now the offense has a numbers advantage to the strong side of the formation.
This is a prime example of what Brennan Marion was looking for when first coming up with this offense: having answers to every defensive alignment and scheme built into every play.
Brennan Marion’s Go-Go Offense Running Concepts
Coach Marion has said he can run any running play from his staple Shotgun — FAR/NEAR formation, as well as out of his Pistol — STACK formation. That is extremely valuable, for the sake of not tipping your plays to the defense pre-snap.
G/T Counter Run Plays
Out of Shotgun — FAR formation in 21 personnel, Brennan Marion and William & Mary run a Guard/Tackle counter run play. As you can see, the running back closest to the quarterback has the responsibility to seal the edge defender on the backside of the play.
Another example of Brennan Marion running out of these unique formations comes in the same William & Mary game.
This time Marion runs a G/T counter run play out of a Pistol — Stack formation in 21 personnel. Again, the running back who isn’t getting the ball has an important task to seal the defensive end. Stopping him from making a huge play in the backfield on the backside.
The creativity in Brennan Marion’s run blocking scheme with the running backs is actually nothing new. However, rarely do teams ask their primary running backs to block and seal the backside as if they were a fullback or tight end.
Layering Similar Plays Within Brennan Marion’s Go-Go Offense
Brennan Marion also has shown he can layer the same run play design with a few different variations. These variations force the defense to respect almost any kind of play, even post snap, because of how similar they look to each other.
Play One:
The first play shown is an inside zone run play out of NEAR formation with 20 personnel.
Play Two:
The second play shown is also an inside zone run play out of NEAR formation with 21 personnel. However, on this play the second running back gets the ball.
Play Three:
The third play shown is a quarterback read-option play in a NEAR formation in 20 personnel. However, it looks the exact same as the previous inside zone run plays.
The difference is that the quarterback has the option to keep the ball and take it to the backside of the play, depending on what the unblocked edge defender does. If the unblocked edge player crashes to stop the running back, typically the quarterback would keep it and run past him. If the unblocked edge defender “slow plays” the play, the quarterback would simply hand the ball off and it would turn into a normal inside zone run play.
Play Four:
The fourth play is a three-verticals passing play out of a NEAR formation in 21 personnel. Using the same formation as the previous plays shown, Marion decides to stretch the defense vertically here.
There was no play-action attached to this passing play, yet you still see the linebackers approach the line of scrimmage at the snap as if they’re guessing it’s a run play.
Brennan Marion layering these plays within the game will constantly put stress on the defense. The defense, even a second or two after the snap, will be guessing what the play is. That hesitation and lack of confidence forces the defense to play slower than they normally would.
It is very similar to a baseball pitcher having the same throwing motion, arm slot and release with a few of their pitches. In this scenario the batter is kept guessing until the very last moment, at that point it’s likely too late anyways.
Closing
Brennan Marion is on the fast track to a Power-Five offensive coordinator position. The Longhorns will not be able to keep him for more than a season or two, if everything goes well.
Overall, Brennan Marion is one of the brightest young minds in football. Texas is lucky to have him in the building. Not only is his scheme new and exciting, but the energy he brings as a coach and a recruiter is on full-display already on his Instagram: @brennan_coach & Twitter: @BrennanMarion4.
If you’re interested in learning even more about Brennan Marion’s Go-Go Offense, you can find his book on it here!
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