“Kent State University has terminated the employment of head football coach Kenni Burns…Offensive coordinator Mark Carney will serve as interim head football coach with a national search taking place at the conclusion of the 2025 season“. This was the official statement of the Kent State program after they fired head coach Kenni Burns. The head coach who was hired to change the fortunes of the program, to take it out of those bottom-rung positions, and at least make it a program producing winning seasons. Well, the head coach failed quite miserably at that. Why? Well, it has to do with Kenny Burns’ ability, who might have made it ‘big’ just as an assistant. But he chose a job at which he failed not just miserably, but broke all the records in finishing last.

Kenni Burns was hired by Kent State for the 2022 season on the back of high expectations. The reason? In Minnesota, as their RBs coach, he performed miraculously and even produced an All-American RB, Mohamed Ibrahim. This was probably the reason Burns earned a $2.7 million deal at Kent State, which guaranteed the former Minnesota coach almost $525,000 per year. Surely, the package would allow him to deliver, right? Well, not really. Since the head coach has been fired, the program is facing another uncertain period after two years of appalling performances.

Why was Kenny Burns fired?

The head coach’s firing was always on the cards. In the two years Burns remained at the helm, Kent State finished 1-11 in the 2023 season and, surprisingly, even made it worse the next season as they failed to win a single game in 2024. Burns’ only win came against the Connecticut Blue Devils, an FCS team that also had a tumultuous season as they finished 3-8. Wait, some of the records have been broken too by Burns.

This was the fifth time Kent State finished with a winless season in their more than a century-old program’s history. Moreover, the team is currently on a losing streak, which could well go beyond the 20 games. This would be the first time since the 1980s that the program has produced such a disappointing streak. Furthermore, the team’s 10 losses last year came with a margin greater than 10. That alone tells you how far behind the team was with Kenny Burns. So, it’s not a surprise that the head coach has been fired. Moreover, there were some off-the-field issues too.

Apart from the appalling performances on the field, as per recent reports, there were some financial troubles too. An Ohio State bank had sued Burns for his debt on credit card repayment default, which amounted to almost $24,000, excluding interest. The bank also alleged that the head coach failed to make repayments and misused and exceeded the $20,000 limit of the card. But why the hype? Well, when you earn close to half a million a year and have a debt that invites lawsuits, then questions would be raised. The questions and criticisms could also reflect poorly on the program the head coach represents, and this could be another reason why the program decided to part ways with the head coach.

How much does Kent State owe him in a buyout?

As discussed earlier, the head coach earned $525,000 per year and had a contract that guaranteed him $2.7 million. However, Burns had signed a contract extension till 2028, which, although it didn’t give the head coach any substantial raise, still raised his salary from his earlier base salary of $475,000. Now that he is fired, there must be some buyout money the team would need to pay the head coach, right?

While the specific buyout terms and conditions are still unknown. Still, the contract stipulated a substantial reduction in payout if the termination was done for “cause”. This essentially means that if the firing had been done due to some “conduct allegations” that can also include legal or financial troubles, the team would not have to pay a buyout or a reduced buyout. However, despite this speculation, there are still some uncertainties.

Since there is no official report confirming the details of the buyout, nothing can be said officially as of now. Now, it remains to be seen how things develop and how the firing will play out for the program in the future. Kent State will undoubtedly be in a rut right now and will be looking for another head coach who could take them away from a century-old history of mediocrity and underachievement. Though it will be quite a massive challenge.