Kodi Burns, Tennessee WRs coach, reportedly departs for NFL job
By Keith Farner
Published:
Kodi Burns, Tennessee’s wide receivers coach, has reportedly left Knoxville for a job in the NFL.
Pete Thamel of ESPN reported that Burns will be the new wide receivers coach for the New Orleans Saints. Burns, who was on Auburn’s 2010 national championship team, has coached at Auburn as co-offensive coordinator, and previously at Arizona State, Samford, and as a graduate assistant at Auburn and Arkansas State. He’s primarily coached wide receivers and running backs over the years.
Sources: University of Tennessee WR coach Kodi Burns has accepted the New Orleans Saints wide receivers job. Burns is a former Auburn player who has also coached at Middle Tennessee, Arizona State and Auburn.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) February 21, 2022
During his tenure, a total of nine Auburn offensive players were selected in the NFL Draft, including a pair of wide receivers in 2021, according to his Tennessee bio. Anthony Schwartz was a third round selection by the Cleveland Browns, while Seth Williams went in the sixth round to the Denver Broncos. It marked the first time since 2006 that 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. Slayton has been a go-to wide receiver for the Giants in his first two seasons, including a team-high 751 yards in 2020.
Burns’ final season at Auburn saw the Tigers earn a berth in the Citrus Bowl as Schwartz and Williams shined. The two ranked seventh and 11th in total receiving yards in the SEC, respectively, while combining for seven touchdowns through the air.
A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.
