Burns, who came to Kent State from Minnesota, is 1-23 in two seasons.
Per Pete Thamel of ESPN, Kent State head football coach Kenni Burns has reportedly been placed on administrative leave effective immediately.
The Atheltic’s Chris Vannini reported on Thursday evening offensive coordinator Mark Carney will handle head coaching duties for the Golden Flashes. Kent State, which recently finished their winter workouts, are set to begin spring camps this upcoming Monday.
The university confirmed Burns’ placement on leave and the interim coaching change to Vannini, but notably did not comment any further.
Burns, who is 1-23 in two seasons at Kent State, signed an extension in 2024 which lengthened his five-year deal by one season. Burns is set to make $525k for the 2025 campaign.
A university investigation into Burns concluded in his placement on leave, per FootballScoop’s Doug Samuels.
Burns has been the subject of ire both on-field— where the Flashes currently hold a 21-game losing streak and no wins vs. FBS competition in two years— and off-field, as Burns was named a defendant in a lawsuit back in September 2024 regarding unpaid credit card debts totaling $23,852.09 plus interest. As of November 2024, Burns had not responded to the suit despite being served via certified mail. Per Vannini, the case was later dismissed in January 2025 at the plaintiff’s request and subsequently vacated.
Of note, Burns had promoted running backs coach and recruiting coordinator Mark Watson Jr. to General Manager on March 6. As of publication, no associate head coach is listed on Kent State’s coaching roster.
This is considered a developing story and will be updated as necessary.