Latest news with #KenniBurns
USA Today
15-04-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
Former Kent State coach Kenni Burns fired for violating school policies, per report
Former Kent State coach Kenni Burns fired for violating school policies, per report Show Caption Hide Caption Donald Trump speaks during Ohio State football visit to White House While recapping OSU's Cotton Bowl win, Donald Trump claimed he won Columbus "by a lot of points." While Trump won Ohio in 2024, he lost Columbus by 38 points. More details have emerged regarding the firing of former Kent State coach Kenni Burns, who was let go Friday. Burns was placed on administrative leave two weeks ago after a university investigation was launched against him. The investigation reportedly found he violated school policies for conflicts of interest, code of conduct and concerning card expenses, according to his termination letter obtained by The Athletic on Monday. REQUIRED READING: Nico Iamaleava's Tennessee football career is over after NIL dispute, holdout The Beacon Journal noted the school claimed Burns showed "dishonesty in the performance of the duties" and he put the school in "public disrepute." Burns' attorney, Lee Hutton III, told The Athletic that Burns still hasn't received a firm reason for why he was fired. Hutton III also said his card purchases had already been reconciled with Kent State. Burns led one of the worst football programs in college football the last two years, as the Golden Flashes finished with a 1-23 record under the former Minnesota running backs coach. Kent State's lone win under Burns was a 38-10 win over Central Connecticut, an FCS program, in 2023. Offensive coordinator Mark Carney will serve as the interim coach for the entirety of the 2025 season before the program launches a national search for its next coach, according to Kent State's announcement. Burns was notified of being placed on paid leave in March, with the note stating that he was being investigated for two wide-ranging sections of his contract, The Athletic reported. He was unable to use school facilities or contract players during the investigation. "My family and I are saddened by the news today," Burns wrote on social media Friday. "We are thankful for the relationships and connections we have made with the players, coaches, and staff over the past few years. The team bond we have is not transactional but that of a family. Kent G.R.I.T. will bind us forever, and for that I am thankful. I am proud of you all, and we will be rooting for you this season and beyond."
USA Today
11-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Kent State fires football head coach Kenni Burns after putting him on leave
Kent State fires football head coach Kenni Burns after putting him on leave Show Caption Hide Caption Tim Tebow weighs in on CFP format, top NFL draft prospects and more Tim Tebow weighs in on college football, what he loves about top NFL draft prospects, and his partnership with AT&T. Kent State University has fired head football coach Kenni Burns. Director of athletics Randale L. Richmond shared the decision via the athletics department X account. 'Kent State University has terminated the employment of head football coach Kenni Burns. Offensive coordinator Mark Carney will serve as interim head football coach with a national search taking place at the conclusion of the 2025 season,' Richmond wrote. 'At this time, our focus will be to support our student-athletes and provide them with the best opportunity to have a positive competitive experience.' Burns has been on administrative leave with pay since March 27. At that time, the university did not comment as to why. Burns' run at the helm of the Golden Flashes' program has been less than successful. In his two seasons, he compiled a 1-23 record and is coming off a winless season (0-12) last year. They've been winless in the Mid-American Conference in those two seasons, registering an 0-16 record and have not beaten an FBS opponent. The only win came against, Central Connecticut State (38-10 on Sept. 9, 2023), an FCS team. What to know about new Kent State football coach Mark Carney Carney joined the Kent State staff in January 2023 as the tight ends coach, hired by Burns about a month after he became the Golden Flashes head coach. Carney was elevated to KSU offensive coordinator ahead of the 2024 season. Carney came to Kent State after four seasons with the Charlotte 49ers, including serving as the offensive coordinator for the last three seasons there. In his three seasons at the helm of its offense, Charlotte averaged nearly 400 yards of offense. In his first season in Charlotte, he helped lead the 49ers to a school record for wins (7) and a trip to the Bahamas Bowl. Before his time in Charlotte, Carney was the offensive coordinator at Virginia State. The Trojans went 29-12 in his four seasons, highlighted by a 2017 CIAA title with a perfect 7-0 league record. Carney's other coaching stops include offensive coordinator at Baldwin-Wallace (2014), wide receivers coach at Bowling Green (2009-13), coaching quarterbacks and receivers at Richmond (2004-08) and being a student assistant at Fordham (2002-03) following his own playing career for the school. Carney graduated from Fordham and was a four-year letterwinner for the Rams as a QB, earning All-Patriot League and honorable mention All-America honors.
NBC Sports
11-04-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Kent State fires football coach Kenni Burns following investigation
KENT, Ohio — Kent State fired coach Kenni Burns on Friday following an investigation related to his two-year tenure. Athletic director Randale Richmond said in a statement that offensive coordinator Mark Carney would serve as the interim coach for the upcoming season with a national search taking place at the end of the year. 'At this time, our focus will be to support our student-athletes and provide them with the best opportunity to have a positive and competitive experience,' Richmond added. Kent State did not provide details on why Burns was fired. Burns, who had a 1-23 record, was put on administrative leave with pay on March 27, a couple of days before the Golden Flashes began spring practices. Kent State was 0-12 last season, the fifth time in school history they had gone winless. Before arriving at Kent State, Burns was the running backs coach at Minnesota. Kent State opens its season on Aug. 30 against Merrimack, a Football Championship Subdivision foe. The Golden Flashes schedule gets more difficult after that, including road games against Texas Tech (Sept. 6), Florida State (Sept. 20) and Oklahoma (Oct. 4).
Miami Herald
11-04-2025
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Kent State fires coach Kenni Burns with 1-23 record
Kent State fired football coach Kenni Burns on Friday on the heels of a 0-12 season in 2024. Burns, 41, was placed on administrative leave on March 27 and departs with a 1-23 record in two seasons. Offensive coordinator Mark Carney will serve as the Golden Flashes' interim coach for the 2025 season. "At this time, our focus will be to support our student-athletes and provide them with the best opportunity to have a positive and competitive experience," athletic director Randale L. Richmond said in a statement. The school did not provide a specific reason for Burns' termination. CBS Sports reported in November that he was being sued by an Ohio bank for an unpaid credit card debt of nearly $24,000. Kent State, which competes in the Mid-American Conference, was outscored by a 529-167 margin in 2024. The Golden Flashes open the 2025 season against FCS program Merrimack on Aug. 30 in Kent, Ohio. The school said it will conduct a national search after the season. Kent State alumnus Josh Cribbs, a three-time Pro Bowl receiver who played 10 seasons with the Cleveland Browns, publicly has expressed interest in the job. --Field Level Media Field Level Media 2025 - All Rights Reserved
New York Times
11-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Kent State fires Kenni Burns 2 weeks after placing him on leave amid investigation
Kent State announced the firing of head coach Kenni Burns on Friday, two weeks after the school placed him on administrative leave amid a university investigation into undisclosed issues. Offensive coordinator Mark Carney will serve as interim head coach for the 2025 season. 'At this time, our focus will be to support our student-athletes and provide them with the best opportunity to have a positive and competitive experience,' athletic director Randale Richmond said in a statement. Burns came to Kent State from an assistant job at Minnesota and went 1-23 over two seasons, including 0-12 this past fall. The Golden Flashes did not beat a Football Bowl Subdivision program during his tenure. It's not yet clear why Burns was placed on leave or fired. The Athletic obtained the university's March letter to Burns to inform him he'd be placed on leave through a public records request. The letter only said he was placed on paid leave as the university investigated issues covered by two wide-ranging sections of his contract. Advertisement 'You are not to return to any facilities or offices in the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics, use university systems (including physical or virtual computing resources), or have any contact with student athletes or university employees concerning this investigation,' the letter read. In September, a local bank sued Burns in county court for nearly $24,000 in unpaid credit card debt. A court issued a default judgment in favor of the bank in December, but in January, the court dismissed the case at the request of the bank. Burns had faced similar financial troubles at multiple other stops in his coaching career, The Athletic found through records searches. It is not known if that had anything to do with Kent State's decision. The Athletic's Matt Baker contributed to this report.
