Kent State Fires Kenni Burns

[Yappi]

Kent State University fired football coach Kenni Burns on Friday after an undisclosed investigation into his two-year, 1-23 tenure. The university placed Burns on paid administrative leave on March 27th, days before spring practices began. Offensive coordinator Mark Carney will serve as interim head coach for the upcoming season, with a national search for a permanent replacement to begin at the year's end. Athletic Director Randale Richmond stated the university's priority is supporting student-athletes and ensuring a positive and competitive season. Burns' dismissal follows a winless 0-12 season in 2024, the fifth such season in Kent State history. Prior to Kent State, Burns served as Minnesota's running backs coach. The Golden Flashes open their season against Merrimack on August 30th, followed by challenging matchups against Texas Tech, Florida State, and Oklahoma.

 

[bob99]

matchups against Texas Tech, Florida State, and Oklahoma.

Sacrificial lamb.

 

[Orin Swift]

Well it’s a good thing they waited until the spring to do it? Bizarre timing.

 

[jdizzle]

Well it’s a good thing they waited until the spring to do it? Bizarre timing.

The timing is terribly bizzare. All this tells you is that football is not a priority at Kent State. Kent State's new football staff is now behind the 8-ball and will struggle to get players who can compete at the MAC level. Sad situation!

 

[cjb5656]

Well it’s a good thing they waited until the spring to do it? Bizarre timing.

He wasn’t fired for football job performance, though that would surely be justified. Burns and his wife got caught up in some financial and legal hi-jinks which led to his suspension and ultimately to his being fired.

 

[clarkgriswold]

One of Kenni's problems was a lawsuit in Portage County Common Pleas Court filed by a local bank where he failed to pay a $24,000 Mastercard debt. The guy made $500K plus yet allowed that default judgment to happen. Before that happens, you get multiple letters to resolve the matter from the bank. You then get more from the lawyers. The complaint then got filed and he failed for months to file an answer resulting in default judgment being rendered against him. It has since been resolved and dismissed but damn. That's a sign that he's an irresponsible dude as well as a bad sign that no lawyer alum stepped up to help him work it out.

There are all kinds of ugly rumors as to the source of his financial issues.

The next guy with his job on the line is the AD.

 

[nickp]

Kent State together with Akron is in real trouble as a program

 

[irish_buffalo]

Bad DEI hire. Has there ever been a success story of a RB coach jumping to successful HC?