Four-year Auburn letterwinner and national champion Kodi Burns returned to his alma mater in December 2025. He serves as the Associate Head Coach, Co-Offensive Coordinator and Wide Receivers coach.
Burns returns to the Plains for his third coaching stint with 11 years of coaching experience at the collegiate level, including seven in the Southeastern Conference, and three years in the NFL.
Burns won a national title as a player and an SEC Championship as both a player and coach at Auburn. He also has national championship game appearances as both a player and coach.
Most recently, Burns served as the assistant head coach, co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach under head coach Alex Golesh at USF in 2025, where he helped lead the Bulls to the second-best total offense (501.7) and fourth-best scoring offense (43.0) in the country. Under Burns, USF receivers accounted for 243 receptions, 3,315 yards and 32 touchdowns. Four receivers hauled in 20 or more passes, 400 or more yards and three or more touchdowns.
In three years at the highest level with the New Orleans Saints, Burns played a role in the continued development of receivers Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed, who combined for nearly 300 receptions and more than 4,000 receiving yards in their first three seasons with the organization.
Before joining the Saints, Burns spent the 2021 season at Tennessee, where he played a major role in the production of a top 10 offense and the breakout of receiver Cedric Tillman. Under Burns’s guidance, Tillman became the first Volunteer to top 1,000 receiving yards in nearly a decade, earning Second Team All-SEC honors.
Prior to Tennessee, Burns spent five seasons at Auburn (2016-20) in roles that included co-offensive coordinator, passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach. During this prior tenure, the Tigers produced nine future NFL Draft picks on offense and hit several program milestones. Auburn’s 2017 team became only the eighth in SEC history to record 3,000 rushing and 3,000 passing yards in a season, won the SEC West, and finished the season ranked No. 10 in the AP Poll. Burns mentored Ryan Davis, who set the program’s single-season (84) and career (178) receptions records.
After starting his career as an offensive graduate assistant under former head coach Gus Malzahn at both Arkansas State (2012) and Auburn (2013), including a run to the 2014 BCS National Championship Game, Burns held roles as the running backs coach at Samford (2014) and wide receivers coach at Middle Tennessee (2015).
As a player, Burns was a versatile and productive four-year contributor at Auburn. After beginning his career as a quarterback—the first true freshman to start for the Tigers since 1998—he transitioned to wide receiver later in his career and amassed nearly 2,300 total yards and 22 touchdowns. He capped his career with a national championship in 2010, scoring the first touchdown with a 35-yard reception in Auburn’s BCS title game victory over Oregon.
A native of Fort Smith, Ark., Burns earned his bachelor's degree in exercise science from Auburn in 2011.
COACHING HISTORY
2012: Arkansas State, offensive graduate assistant
2013: Auburn, offensive graduate assistant
2014: Samford, running backs
2015: Middle Tennessee, wide receivers
2016-18: Auburn, co-offensive coordinator/wide receivers
2019-20: Auburn, passing game coordinator/wide receivers
2021: Tennessee, wide receivers
2022-24: New Orleans Saints, wide receivers
2025: USF, assistant head coach/co-offensive coordinator/wide receivers
2026-: Auburn, associate head coach/co-offensive coordinator/wide receivers