Report: UCF to Hire Kodi Burns as New WR Coach

Welcome Kodi Burns to the Knights family. The former Auburn wideout and WR coach will reportedly be the Knights’ new wide receivers coach, replacing Darrell Wyatt.

The news was first reported by Pete Thamel at Yahoo! Sports.

More than a week ago, UCF Knights fans received the unexpected report from Football Scoop that Wyatt left the program. Very little detail about his departure is known and as of publishing, there has been no news of a new destination for him. With Wyatt out, UCF immediately went on the hunt for a new coach.

Burns, the Tigers' wide receivers coach since 2016, had also held the title of passing game coordinator since 2019 and served as the co-offensive coordinator from 2016-18. Burns joined Auburn's staff in February 2016, replacing then-WR coach Dameyune Craig after Craig left for LSU.

Burns began his playing career as a quarterback and was recruited as one when he enrolled at Auburn in 2007. He played his first two seasons at QB before making the switch to wide receiver in 2009. His top claim to fame was catching a 35-yard touchdown pass from Cam Newton in the 2011 BCS Championship Game.

After leaving college, Burns began his coaching journey.

He started in 2012 as a graduate assistant at Arkansas State before becoming a grad assistant at Auburn the following year. In 2014 and 2015, he had one-year stints as the running backs coach at Samford and the wide receivers coach at Middle Tennessee, respectively.

Burns got to see UCF up close and personal when the Knights defeated the Tigers in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl to wrap up the 2017 season.

While at Auburn, Burns worked with various NFL talents, including wide receiver Darius Slayton and running back Kerryon Johnson. With receivers Anthony Schwartz, Eli Stove, and Seth Williams declaring for the 2021 NFL Draft and the good chance that at least two of them will be drafted, Burns brings tangible results to the Knights.

Last season, UCF had the second-highest offensive output in the country at 568.1 yards per game. Their average of 357.4 passing yards per game ranked fourth in the nation.

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UCF has the wide receiving duo of Jaylon Robinson and Ryan O’Keefe returning next season, along with Amari Johnson. Robinson and O’Keefe had the second- and fourth-highest receiving yardage outputs on the team. Tennessee graduate transfer Brandon Johnson has been added to the WR mix. With tight end Jake Hescock returning for an extra season, he and Jaylon Robinson are the elder statesmen in an otherwise young group of receivers. Since the end of the season, wideouts Marlon Williams, Tre Nixon, and Jacob Harris have all declared for the NFL Draft.