08/16 at 11:04 PM

These days, Kodi Burns leaves the orange jersey inside his locker when he takes the practice field.

He just hasn’t left the skills and intangibles he acquired as a quarterback far behind.

One year after he lost both the starting quarterback job and, ultimately, his future at the position, Burns is just one of the guys among Auburn’s deep and potentially potent group of wide receivers. Wearing the standard blue practice jersey just like everyone else now,

Burns no longer sticks out like, well, a quarterback working with the wide receivers.
He likes it that way.

“I’d never caught a pass in my life until last year,” Burns said. “They kind of threw me out there. Now I’ve had a whole summer to work, a whole spring to work. Those things come naturally to me now.”

It hasn’t been so easy as Burns is making it look now.

Burns saw plenty of time on the field, but the ball rarely came his way as a wide receiver. He caught four passes during the regular season, none of which went for longer than 8 yards, before he hauled in a 23-yarder at the Outback Bowl.

His biggest plays were saved for the Wildcat, where he served as the triggerman. He didn’t have to learn many new skills for that role, as he used the same mobility skills he displayed at quarterback to rush for 175 yards and punch in five touchdowns.

Burns’ touchdown catch against Georgia put him in select company, making him just the second player since 1980 to throw, run and catch a touchdown for Auburn in the same season.

Now, he’d prefer to just catch a few more.

“I’m starting to do a lot better with catching the ball, getting it at the highest point, and just making plays,” Burns said. “That’s what I need to do.”

Burns’ weight hasn’t changed much in a year, but, from the naked eye, he looks much more like a wide receiver.

He’s trimmer, leaner, but still has the strength that will be required at the “5” wide receiver spot, a position that is sometimes filled by tight end Philip Lutzenkirchen.

More often than not, as has been the case in practice, Burns will be matched up against physical linebackers instead of speedy cornerbacks. When he hauled in a 60-yard pass in practice last week, Burns had to do it with 215-pound Josh Bynes riding his hip.

“To be honest, I thought he had no chance,” wide receivers coach Trooper Taylor said. “And he came down with the football about 60 yards deep. It was a beautiful throw and catch at the time, and it sparked our offense.

“That’s what it takes. You’ve got to have guys on the perimeter to get this offense going. You’ve got to make plays.”

Burns was familiar with making plays long before he assumed duties as a wide receiver.

As a quarterback, Burns knew the playbook front to back, even the Gus Malzahn version that makes Webster’s dictionary look like Cliff’s Notes.

That knowledge hasn’t left Burns’ head, even though he’s only required to know certain aspects of a significantly fewer number of plays.

It’s only made him better.

“When I was playing quarterback, I knew what the linemen were doing, what the receivers do — as well as the backs and everybody,” he said. “It helps me run better routes.”

Taylor was noticeably understanding with Burns last year during the transition phase. That hasn’t been the case this year.

“You just have to be a man and take it,” Burns said. “It’s no problem for me. I like coaching. You have to worry when they’re not saying anything to you.”

Not much has changed when Taylor talks about Burns, though. Taylor said there’s no one in his group that works harder, catches more balls from the JUGS machine or leads more than Burns.

“If he was cleaning the street out there, I would want to go out there because that’s where the cleanest part of the road would be,” Taylor said. “He sets the bar high behind him.

Because they may have more ability than him, but they aren’t going to out-work him. That’s what Kodi brings to the team.”

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