| Kenni Burns | |
| Current Title: | Head coach |
| Current Team: | Kent State |
| Current Conference: | MAC |
| Current Record: | 1–23 |
| Birth Date: | 24 November 1983 |
| Birth Place: | Springfield, Illinois, U.S. |
| Alma Mater: | Indiana |
| Player Years1: | 2003–2006 |
| Player Team1: | Indiana |
| Player Positions: | Running back |
| Coach Years1: | 2007 |
| Coach Team1: | Millersville (RB) |
| Coach Years2: | 2008–2009 |
| Coach Team2: | Southern Illinois (TE) |
| Coach Years3: | 2010–2013 |
| Coach Team3: | North Dakota State (WR) |
| Coach Years4: | 2014 |
| Coach Team4: | Wyoming (WR) |
| Coach Years5: | 2016 |
| Coach Team5: | Western Michigan (RB) |
| Coach Years6: | 2017–2018 |
| Coach Team6: | Minnesota (RB) |
| Coach Years7: | 2019–2022 |
| Coach Team7: | Minnesota (AHC/RB) |
| Coach Years8: | 2023–present |
| Coach Team8: | Kent State |
| Overall Record: | 1–23 |
Kenni Burns (born November 24, 1983) is an American college football coach and former player. He is the head football coach for Kent State University, a position he has held since 2023. He is the former running backs coach and assistant head coach for Minnesota Golden Gophers football.[1]
Burns was a three-year letter winner at Indiana. As a student he played running back from 2003 to 2006.
Burns followed P. J. Fleck from Western Michigan to Minnesota 2017, as the running back coach.[2] In 2019, he was granted the additional title as assistant head coach. During his tenure, Burns coached Rodney Smith and all-American back Mohamed Ibrahim.[3]
On December 14, 2022, Burns was named the head coach for the Kent State Golden Flashes.[4] His head coaching debut against UCF in the 2023 season is considered one of the worst in NCAA Division I FBS history, leading the Golden Flashes to a 56–6 defeat. In his first season as head coach, he led Kent State to a 1–11 record, marking them as one of the worst teams in NCAA Division I FBS in the 2023 season. The only win of the season was a victory over the NCAA Division I FCS Central Connecticut. In his second season, he led Kent State to a winless 0-12 record. The Golden Flashes once again finished as the worst team in the 2024 season and became the first winless team in a full season since 2019. Burns holds a 1-23 record as a head coach, which includes an upset loss against NCAA Division I FCS Saint Francis and 22 consecutive losses to FBS teams. Burns is currently on a multi-year 3+ million dollar coaching contract with Kent State athletics which goes through the 2028 college football season.
Burns is from Springfield, Illinois. He graduated from Sacred Heart-Griffin High School in 2003 and attended Indiana University Bloomington where he graduated with a degree in general studies in 2006.
Burns and his wife, Ciara, have two children.