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.

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“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.

(Photo: Charles LeClaire / Imagn Images)

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