Kodi Burns (born December 24, 1988) is an
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...
coach who is the wide receivers coach for the
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...
of the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
(NFL). He was previously the wide receivers coach at the
University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee (officially The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; or UT Knoxville; UTK; or UT) is a public land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1794, two years before Tennessee became the 16th state ...
and
Auburn University, where he played
college football first as a quarterback and later as a wide receiver winning a
national championship
A national championship(s) is the top achievement for any sport or contest within a league of a particular nation or nation state. The title is usually awarded by contests, ranking systems, stature, ability, etc. This determines the best team, indi ...
in
2010.
High school career
As a high school senior in 2007 at
Northside High School in
Fort Smith, Arkansas
Fort Smith is the third-largest city in Arkansas and one of the two county seats of Sebastian County. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 89,142. It is the principal city of the Fort Smith, Arkansas–Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Are ...
, Burns accounted for 2,738 yards 36 touchdowns, rushing and passing. He was named All-State by the Arkansas Activities Association and was ranked as the nation's #8 "Dual-Threat" quarterback by Rivals.com.
Burns was recruited heavily by
Tommy Tuberville
Thomas Hawley Tuberville ( ; born September 18, 1954) is an American retired college football coach and politician serving as the junior United States senator from Alabama since 2021. Before entering politics, Tuberville was the head football ...
while he was the coach at
Auburn and by
Gus Malzahn
Arthur Gustavo Malzahn III (; born October 28, 1965) is an American football coach. He is currently the head coach at the University of Central Florida ( UCF). He was the head football coach at Auburn University from 2013 to 2020. During the 20 ...
while he was at
Arkansas
Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the O ...
.
Malzahn would later be his coach at Auburn and on Malzahn's coaching staff at Arkansas State.
College career
Burns was a key part in
Tommy Tuberville
Thomas Hawley Tuberville ( ; born September 18, 1954) is an American retired college football coach and politician serving as the junior United States senator from Alabama since 2021. Before entering politics, Tuberville was the head football ...
's offense in 2007. In the
2007 Chick-fil-A Bowl
The 2007 Chick-fil-A Bowl was college football bowl game between the Clemson Tigers and the Auburn Tigers played in Atlanta, Georgia on December 31, 2007. With sponsorship from Chick-fil-A, it was the 40th edition of the game known throughout mos ...
, Burns ran for a 10-yard touchdown to win in OT for a 23–20 win. After the game Burns was projected by media and fans to be the starter in 2008, because 2007 was
Brandon Cox's senior year. Burns started seven games at quarterback for the
Tigers in 2008. He was moved to wide receiver prior to the 2009 season.
Burns ran for a touchdown in the wildcat against
Arkansas State
Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...
; Auburn won the game 56–26. Against
Ole Miss, Burns was in the wildcat and threw a touchdown pass to
Cam Newton
Cameron Jerrell Newton (born May 11, 1989) is an American football quarterback who is a free agent. He has played for 11 seasons, primarily with the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). Nicknamed "Super Cam", he is the NF ...
. Burns also had a key reception in the
National Championship Game against
Oregon
Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...
. Newton found Burns on a long 35 yard touchdown pass, where Burns put Auburn up 7–3 which led to Auburn's win 22–19.
Coaching career
In January 2012, Kodi Burns joined
Gus Malzahn's staff at
Arkansas State
Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...
as an offensive graduate assistant.
Gus Malzahn was hired to be the Auburn head coach after Auburn went 3-9 (0-8), the worst since a 3-8 1998 season. Burns returned to his alma mater as a graduate assistant on Malzahn's staff.
On May 12, 2014, it was announced that Burns would coach running backs at
Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama
On February 10, 2015, Burns was hired as the wide receivers coach at
Middle Tennessee State University
Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU or MT) is a public university in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Founded in 1911 as a normal school, the university consists of eight Undergraduate education, undergraduate colleges as well as a college of Postgr ...
On January 4, 2016, it was announced Burns will be coaching the running backs at
Arizona State University
On February 15, 2016 it, was announced that Burns had been hired on as Gus Malzahn's WR coach at Auburn University, replacing
Dameyune Craig
Dameyune Vashon Craig (born April 19, 1974) is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the Quarterbacks coach at the Texas A&M University. Craig played professionally as quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) f ...
nearly 24 hours after Craig's official departure to
Louisiana State University (LSU).
On December 13, 2020, it was announced that Auburn head coach Malzahn was being fired, along with his entire staff (including Burns).
On February 8, 2021, Burns was hired as the wide receivers coach at
The University of Tennessee.
On February 21, 2022, Burns was hired for his first NFL coaching role, becoming the wide receivers coach for the
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...
.
References
External links
Samford Bulldogs bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Burns, Kodi
1988 births
Living people
American football quarterbacks
American football wide receivers
Arkansas State Red Wolves football coaches
Auburn Tigers football coaches
Auburn Tigers football players
Samford Bulldogs football coaches
Sportspeople from Fort Smith, Arkansas
UCF Knights football coaches
Players of American football from Arkansas
African-American coaches of American football
African-American players of American football
21st-century African-American sportspeople
20th-century African-American people
New Orleans Saints coaches