TEMPE, Ariz. – Arizona State University Head Football Coach Todd Graham has hired Kodi Burns as the program’s running backs coach, Coach Graham announced Thursday.
“Kodi is not only a talented coach, but an extremely gifted recruiter, and we’re fortunate to have him with us in Tempe,” Coach Graham said. “His background as a Div. I football student-athlete that has won conference and national championships, and as a coach that has worked at different positions at various levels within college football gives him a unique perspective and ability to build relationships.”
Burns was a part of two Auburn BCS National Championship game teams as both a student-athlete and coach, and has been a coach at the Football Bowl Subdivision level in the Southeastern Conference, Conference USA and Sun Belt Conference, and the Football Championship Subdivision in the Southland Conference.
“First off, I’m blessed to be here and be a part of Coach Graham’s staff,” Coach Burns said. “I’ve always admired Coach Graham’s leadership and philosophy, and this is a great opportunity to not only learn from him, but everyone involved with the program. My ties with both Coach [Gus] Malzahn and Coach [Chip] Lindsey give me a familiarity with Coach Graham’s system and the ability to make a seamless transition. I’m excited to be a Sun Devil and connect with this passionate fan base, and eager for the challenge of coaching in the Pac-12. I’m ready to get going, ready to recruit, ready to coach, and ready to work with a great group of young men. We’re going to have a lot of fun.”
Burns spent the 2015 season as the wide receivers coach at Middle Tennessee St., where he mentored Richie James and Ed Battlies, two of the leading receivers in Conference USA. James led Conference USA with 108 receptions and his 1,346 receiving yards were third in the conference, and Battlies’ 82 receptions and 1,048 receiving yards ranks fourth and fifth in the conference, respectively.
Burns was the running back coach at Samford University in 2014. Under Burns’ guidance, Bulldogs running back Denzel Williams racked up more than 1,000 all-purpose yards under Burns’ tutelage in 2014, including 918 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns, en route to All-Southern Conference honors.
Burns served as an offensive graduate assistant at Auburn University during the 2013 season under then-head coach Gus Malzahn and current Sun Devil Football offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey, who worked as an offensive analyst for the Tigers. Malzahn was an assistant for Coach Graham for two seasons at Tulsa from 2007-08.
In 2013, Burns helped Auburn put together a 12-2 record, win an SEC Championship and reach the 2014 BCS Championship game. He worked with the Tigers’ offense, including running back Tre Mason, one of six finalists for the 2013 Heisman Trophy and the SEC Offensive Player of the Year, and a third round pick by the St. Louis Rams in the 2014 NFL Draft.
Prior to his second stint at Auburn, Burns was a graduate assistant at Arkansas State under Malzahn in 2012. The Red Wolves won the Sun Belt Conference with a 9-3 record and Burns worked with an offense that included a 3,000-yard passer, a 1,000-yard receiver and 1,000-yard rusher.
Burns filled a variety of roles as a four-year letterwinner at Auburn from 2007-10, during which he won an SEC Championship and the 2011 BCS National Championship. He was a quarterback his first two seasons at Auburn before he moved to receiver for the second half of his career. In 2007 he became the first Auburn true freshman quarterback to start in a game since Gabe Gross in 199, and he collected nearly 2,300 total yards and scored 22 touchdowns in his career, including the opening touchdown on a 35-yard pass in the Tigers’ win against Oregon in the 2011 BCS National Championship game.
Burns, who is from Fort Smith, Ark., was born Dec. 24, 1988.