Burns finished 0-22 vs. the FBS and 0-16 vs. the MAC in a two-year tenure.
The Kent State Golden Flashes officially parted ways with Kenni Burns on Friday, Apr. 11, 2025, ending his two-year tenure as head coach.
“Kent State University has terminated the employment of head football coach Kenni Burns,” athletic director Randale L. Richmond released in a statement. “Offensive coordinator Mark Carney will serve as interim head football coach, with a national search taking place at the conclusion of 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.”
Burns was placed on administrative leave on Mar. 27. The university did not comment on the reason for the decision, but FootballScoop’s Doug Samuels reported the move occurred after a lengthy investigation from the university.
Kent State did not confirm if related to Burns’ administrative leave and subsequent firing, but in September 2024, Burns was named the defendant in a lawsuit involving $23,852.09 in unpaid credit card debt plus interest. The case was later dismissed in January 2025 at the plaintiff’s request and subsequently vacated, per The Athletic.
On the field, Burns finished 1-23 in two seasons at Kent State, with his lone victory coming against Central Connecticut of the FCS on Sept. 23, 2023. His tenure concludes on a 21-game losing streak, which ties a program record Kent State set in 1983. The Golden Flashes also finished 0-22 vs. FBS opponents and 0-16 vs. MAC opponents in the coach’s two years at the helm.
Burns was originally hired on Dec. 14, 2022 after the unexpected departure of former head man Sean Lewis, who stepped down to take the role of Colorado offensive coordinator under Deion Sanders.
Burns, who served as an assistant coach under P.J. Fleck at Western Michigan in 2016 and at Minnesota from 2017-22, was tasked with the difficult move of rebuilding a program from ground zero. Lewis’ sudden move created a mass exodus for Kent State in the transfer portal, nearly gutting the program of all of its starting talent. When the Golden Flashes took the field for Week 1 of the 2023 season, only three of their 2022 starters were present — the least of any team in the FBS that year.
Kent State never exited the cellar in year one, defeating its FCS opponent in Week 3 and dropping the remaining 11 games. The Golden Flashes finished with the worst record at the FBS level at 1-11, a record Burns wore on a sweatshirt in winter workouts to remind the team where they came from.
Unfortunately for Kent State, no improvement was noted in 2024. In fact, things only got worse.
The Golden Flashes stooped from 1-11 to 0-12 last season — dropping a stunner to FCS program St. Francis (PA) in Week 2 (which finished its FCS season with a 4-7 record). Kent State additionally suffered three shutouts, falling 71-0 to Tennessee (in a game where it trailed 65-0 at halftime), 56-0 to Penn State, and 41-0 to Ohio.
In 2024, Kent State ranked last in a litany of categories, including points per game, total offense, points allowed per game, rushing yards allowed per game, and total defense.
The Golden Flashes will launch a national coaching search to find their next head coach, and they will be the sixth MAC team replacing a head coach this offseason, including newcomer UMass.
Kent State has historically been one of the most challenging in the country, as the program only has four bowl appearances and one bowl victory throughout its entire history, and 14 of its 18 head coaches finished below .500 in their tenures. Yet, the Golden Flashes have two MAC Championship Game appearances in the past 15 years, qualifying in 2012 under Darrell Hazell and again in 2021 under Sean Lewis.
Kent State opens its 2025 season Aug. 30 at home against Merrimack of the FCS under the direction of offensive coordinator Mark Carney, who will operate under the interim head coach label through 2025.