Burns previously worked with USF Head Coach Alex Golesh at Tennessee and spent two seasons in the NFL with the New Orleans Saints
TAMPA, DEC. 17, 2024 – University of South Florida Football Head Coach Alex Golesh announced Tuesday that Kodi Burns has joined the Bulls as Co-Offensive Coordinator/Assistant Head Coach and Wide Receivers Coach.
Burns comes to USF with 10 years of experience coaching at the collegiate level, including the 2021 season at Tennessee with Golesh, and two seasons in the NFL coaching wide receivers for the New Orleans Saints (2022-23).
Burns won a national title as a player and an SEC Championship as both a player and coach at his alma mater of Auburn. He also has national championship game appearances as both a player and coach.
“Kodi is a winner who has had great success developing players at both the collegiate and NFL level,” Golesh said. “I am very excited to have him join our staff, lead our wide receiver group and help us continue to build one of the most explosive offenses in the country. Kodi is a process-driven coach who cares greatly for his players. We worked very well together for a season at Tennessee, he knows our system, and he will be a great mentor for our players.”
With the Saints, Burns coached a group in the 2022 season led by a pair of standout rookies Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed. Olave, who was a PFWA All-Rookie selection, became only the second Saints rookie to lead the team in receptions (72 catches), receiving yardage (1,042 yards), and yards per catch (14.5 avg.) and only the third to reach the 1,000-yard mark. Shaheed, an undrafted free agent, caught 28 passes for 488 yards (17.4 avg.) with two touchdowns and added four carries for 57 yards with a 44-yard touchdown in only 12 games. In the following 2023 season, Olave collected 87 receptions for 1,123 yards and Shaheed upped his totals to 46 catches for 719 yards.
Burns served as wide receivers coach at the University of Tennessee in 2021, where he was instrumental in the development of Cedric Tillman who had 64 receptions for 1,081 yards and 12 touchdowns. Tillman was selected second-team All-SEC by Phil Steele and became the first Volunteer to reach 1,000 receiving yards since 2012.
Burns served six years on the coaching staff at Auburn, where was co-offensive coordinator/wide receivers coach from 2016-20 after first serving as a graduate assistant in 2013 and adding the role of passing game coordinator from 2019-20. During his tenure, nine Auburn offensive players were selected in the NFL Draft, including two wide receivers in 2021.
In 2017, Auburn became just the eighth team in SEC history to rush and pass for 3,000 yards in a season and set a school record with 327 points in conference play. Burns played a key role on a squad that captured the SEC West championship with a 7-1 conference record and finished tenth nationally in the final Associated Press poll, mentoring Ryan Davis, who set an Auburn record with 84 receptions and finished his career as Auburn’s all-time receptions leader (178).
Burns spent the 2015 season as the wide receivers coach at Middle Tennessee where he mentored Richie James who led Conference USA with 108 receptions, and his 1,346 receiving yards ranked third as he was named first-team Freshman All-America a first-team All-Conference USA selection.
Burns served as running backs coach at Samford in 2014 where under his guidance tailback Denzel Williams tallied more than 1,000 all-purpose yards, including 918 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns, earning All-Southern Conference.
In 2013, Burns worked with Auburn’s offense as a graduate assistant as the Tigers led the nation in rushing (328.3) while ranking 11th in total offense (501.3) and 12th in scoring offense (39.5). Running back Tre Mason was a Heisman Trophy finalist and the SEC Offensive Player of the Year. Auburn claimed the SEC Championship and earned a berth in the BCS National Championship Game.
Burns began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Arkansas State under Gus Malzahn in 2012. The Red Wolves won the Sun Belt Conference with a 10-3 record, and Burns helped an offense that included a 3,000-yard passer, a 1,000-yard receiver, and a 1,000-yard rusher.
Burns earned four letters at Auburn (2007-10), excelling in a variety of roles. He was a quarterback his first two seasons. In 2007, he became the first Tiger true freshman quarterback to start a game since 1998. He moved to wide receiver for the second half of his career, collecting nearly 2,300 total yards and 22 career touchdowns. As a senior wideout in 2010, he guided Auburn to a perfect 14-0 season and the national title, scoring the opening touchdown on a 35-yard pass reception in a BCS National Championship Game win over Oregon.
A native of Fort Smith, Ark., Burns earned his bachelor’s degree in exercise science in 2011.
ABOUT USF FOOTBALL
The USF football program first took the field in 1997 and is in its 28th season in 2024 making back-to-back bowl appearances under second-year head coach Alex Golesh. USF completed construction on a new $22 million Indoor Performance Facility in 2023 and a $340-million on-campus stadium and football operations center is slated for completion by 2027. The Bulls have posted 16 winning seasons, earned 16 All-America selections (including two consensus selections, the last coming in 2021), as well as 32 first-team all-conference honorees. USF has had 30 players selected in the NFL Draft. The Bulls have earned 12 bowl game appearances (posting 7 wins), including a program-record six straight appearances from 2005-2010 and four straight bowl appearances from 2015-18. USF posted back-to-back 10-win seasons in 2016 and 2017, logging a program-record 11-2 mark in 2016, while finishing both seasons ranked in the Top 25. USF spent a program-record 20 straight weeks ranked in the Top 25 during the 2016 and 2017 campaigns and reached as high as No. 2 in the Associated Press rankings during the 2007 season.
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