Years in Coaching: 12
Years at USF: 1st
Alma Mater: Auburn, ‘11
Notable:
• Coached two years with the NFL’s New Orleans Saints
• Coached Chris Olave Olave to PFWA All-Rookie selection, becoming 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.
• Coached Tennessee’s Cedric Tillman to 64 receptions for 1,081 yards and 12 touchdowns, and second-team All-SEC.
• Co-Offensive Coordinator at Auburn in 2017 when the Tigers became just the eighth team in SEC history to rush and pass for 3,000 yards in a season, while setting a school record with 327 points in conference play.
• Won a national title as a player and an SEC Championship as both a player and coach at his alma mater of Auburn.
• Also has national championship game appearances as both a player and coach.
Bowl Experience as a Coach (8)
2021 Citrus Bowl – Auburn
2020 Outback Bowl - Auburn
2018 Music City Bowl – Auburn
2018 Peach Bowl – Auburn
2017 Sugar Bowl – Auburn
2015 Bahamas Bowl – Middle Tennessee
2014 BCS National Championship Game – Auburn
2013 GoDaddy.com Bowl – Arkansas State
Bowl Experience as a Player (3)
2011 BCS National Championship Game - Auburn
2010 Outback Bowl - Auburn
2007 Chick-fil-A Bowl - Auburn
Kodi Burns joined the Bulls as Co-Offensive Coordinator/Assistant Head Coach and Wide Receivers Coach in December of 2024.
Burns came to USF with 10 years of experience coaching at the collegiate level, including working alongside USF Head Coach Alex Golesh during the 2021 season when both were at Tennessee. He also has 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 owns national championship game appearances as both a player and coach.
With the Saints, Burns coached a group in the 2022 season that was led by a pair of standout rookies in 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, both ranking 17th in the NFL, and Shaheed upped his totals to 46 catches for 719 yards.
Burns served as wide receivers coach at the University of Tennessee in 2021. He was instrumental in the development of redshirt junior Cedric Tillman, who had 64 receptions for 1,081 yards and 12 touchdowns as he was selected second-team All-SEC by Phil Steele, becoming the first Volunteer to reach 1,000 receiving yards since 2012. In a shootout against College Football Playoff champion Georgia, Tillman had ten receptions for 200 yards and one touchdown and he capped his historic season with a standout performance at the Music City Bowl vs. Purdue, bringing in seven catches for 150 yards and three touchdowns. Graduate transfer Velus Jones Jr. also caught 62 passes for 807 yards with seven touchdowns and ranked third in the conference with 1,772 all-purpose yards, earning Phil Steele third-team All-Conference.
Burns served six years on the coaching staff at Auburn. He was co-offensive coordinator/wide receivers coach from 2016-20 after first serving as a graduate assistant in 2013, adding the role of passing game coordinator from 2019-20. During his tenure, a total of nine Auburn offensive players were selected in the NFL Draft, including two wide receivers in 2021. Anthony Schwartz was a third-round selection by Cleveland after totaling 1,433 career receiving yards on 117 catches with six touchdowns from 2018-20. Seth Williams went in the sixth round to the Denver Broncos after recording 47 receptions for 760 yards (16.2 avg.) with four touchdowns. It marked the first time since 2006 multiple Tiger wide receivers were taken in a single draft. In addition, Darius Slayton was a 2019 selection by the New York Giants under Burns' watch after catching 35 passes for 670 yards (19.1 avg.) and five touchdowns in 2018. Also in 2018, Ryan Davis finished his career as Auburn's all-time receptions leader (178) and Williams led the SEC and ranked tenth nationally as a freshman in yards per reception.
In 2017, Auburn became just the eighth team in SEC history to rush and pass for 3,000 yards in a season, while setting 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 Davis, who set an Auburn record with 84 receptions, ranking second in the SEC and 20th nationally in catches per game.
Burns' first season back at Auburn in 2016 saw 13 different receivers catch a pass of at least 20 yards, while posting the fourth-highest total offensive yard mark in school history (5,730), as they captured a Sugar Bowl berth.
Prior to returning to Auburn, Burns was named running backs coach at Arizona State, and he spent the 2015 season as the wide receivers coach at Middle Tennessee. At MTSU, he mentored Richie James, who led Conference USA with 108 receptions and his 1,346 receiving yards were third as he was named first-team Freshman All-America by both the Football Writers Association of America and USA Today, as well as a first-team All-Conference USA selection. Ed Batties' 82 receptions and 1,048 receiving yards ranked fourth and fifth, respectively in the conference, as he was voted second-team All-Conference USA.
Burns served as running backs coach at Samford in 2014. Under his guidance, Bulldog 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 in 2012 as a graduate assistant at Arkansas State under Gus Malzahn. 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.
COACHING HISTORY
Year Team Position
2024 South Florida Co-Offensive Coordinator/Ass. Head Coach/
Wide Receivers
2022-23 New Orleans Saints Wide Receivers
2021 Tennessee Wide Receivers
2019-20 Auburn Co-Offensive Coordinator/
Passing Game Coordinator/Wide Receivers
2016-18 Auburn Co-Offensive Coordinator/Wide Receivers
2016 Arizona State Running Backs
2015 Middle Tennessee Wide Receivers
2014 Samford Running Backs
2013 Auburn Graduate Assistant
2012 Arkansas State Graduate Assistant
