The Frank Broyles Award, given to college football’s top assistant coach since 1996, announced its list of nominees for the 2024-25 season. However, the award’s largest-ever group of nominees (65) had one prominent absence: UNLV Rebels offensive coordinator Brennan Marion.
Why Brennan Marion Deserves the 2024 Broyles Award
UNLV did have a Broyles Award nominee in special teams coordinator James Shibest, and what he has done this season shouldn’t be overlooked: The Rebels lead the nation with five blocked punts, and Caden Chittenden is the highest-scoring kicker with 118 points.
Yet, what Marion has done on the offensive side of the ball has been that much more impressive.
Marion was a finalist for the award last year, his first as UNLV’s OC. With his patented Go-Go offense, the Rebels shattered records and defied expectations:
- Posted a school-record six games of 40+ points.
- Scored at least 24 points in a school-record 10 straight games and a record 12 overall.
- Finished sixth in the nation in third-down conversion rate (49.3%).
- Tied for eighth in red-zone offense (93.1%)
- Ended the year 22nd in scoring with 34.4 points per game — the second most in school history and most since 1980.
For his efforts, Marion received Mountain West Wire Coordinator of the Year and was UNLV’s nominee for the prestigious Broyles Award. Yet, he’s been even better this season.
Not only did Marion lose 2023 starting QB Jayden Maiava to the USC Trojans during the offseason, but his replacement, Holy Cross transfer Matthew Sluka, shocked the country by announcing his decision to redshirt and leave the program after a 3-0 record.
As a result, backup Hajj-Malik Williams was thrust into the lineup for the remainder of the season … and the Rebels soared even higher. On the year, UNLV is No. 7 in rushing yards per game (245.3) and No. 8 in points per game (38.7).
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Additionally, Williams owns a completion rate 20% higher than Sluka (63.8% to 43.8%) while throwing 15 touchdowns to four interceptions, ranking second on the team with 664 rushing yards, and leading the Rebels with eight rushing scores.
Under Marion’s offensive tutelage, UNLV made its first-ever College Football Rankings debut last week, checking in at No. 24.
If leading a record-breaking offense to national recognition isn’t Broyles Award-worthy, what is?
Marion’s impact has certainly caught the eye of those in coaching circles, with his name frequently surfacing as a candidate for head coaching opportunities. Yet, he remains grounded, focusing solely on the present and his team’s success, embodying the professionalism that has defined his career.
“I’m not interested in going somewhere where I have to change or be different than what got me to this point,” Marion said in the offseason. “For me, being out here in this coaching search or being the hot name, there’s a lot of things that people bring to your attention. But for me, I’m just not interested in going somewhere where I don’t get the same level of autonomy that Coach Odom gives me.
“This year is the year. We’ve got to go get it, go make it happen. And then, at the end of the year, you look at what pops up after you do all the things that you take care of each day … I think we have something good here right now. It’s time to lock in and get this done.”
Marion’s commitment to the present speaks volumes, making his absence from the Broyles Award nominee list even more perplexing. How does a coach orchestrating one of the nation’s top offenses get overlooked for the Broyles Award?
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