Kodi Burns is wasting no time putting his stamp on Auburn’s wide receiver room.
Back on the Plains as part of Alex Golesh’s new staff, Burns is pushing a message that goes well beyond route-running and hands. At Auburn, he wants receivers who bring something extra - especially when the ball isn’t coming their way.
“I’m all about just that physicality, like that hard-nose Auburn football,” Burns said. “We got to get back to that.”
That mindset fits a room that looks deep entering the 2026 season. Auburn has no shortage of talent at receiver, and that only becomes more obvious as fall camp unfolds. But Burns has made it clear that depth alone won’t get anyone on the field.
“You get here at this level in the SEC at Auburn because you can catch the ball,” Burns said. “Everybody can catch the ball at this level.
Everybody’s talented. You win the margins.”
Those margins, in Burns’ view, come from physical play on the perimeter and doing the little things that help the offense function. He wants his receivers helping create space for Jeremiah Cobb and the rest of the running backs, and that becomes even more important with dual-threat quarterback Byrum Brown adding another layer to the run game.
Auburn expects to rotate six to eight receivers this season because of the tempo Golesh wants to play with. Burns believes the Tigers have enough depth to get there, but the race for snaps will be about more than production in the passing game.
That approach seems to be resonating in the room already. Keshaun Singleton said Burns has helped sharpen his process and given him a better understanding of how to handle challenges on and off the field. Singleton is expected to be one of the top two receivers in the room heading into week one.
DeShawn Spencer has also talked about how much Burns emphasizes extra work, and the freshman believes that has sped up his development. Spencer has been getting a good share of first-team reps in fall camp, which makes his progress even more notable.
Then there’s Jeremiah Koger, who brings a different kind of upside at 6-foot-4 with strong ball skills. Burns wants more than raw talent there, too. He wants Koger to become a complete piece of the offense.
That message lines up with what Burns’ offenses have looked like before. Last season at South Florida, 10 different wide receivers caught at least one pass, and seven finished with double-digit catches. Auburn appears to be building toward that kind of distribution, but only if the depth chart holds up once the games begin.
For now, the signs point in the right direction. Burns has a loaded room, a clear standard, and a staff that seems committed to asking more from its players than just making the catch.
In Other News...
Auburns New Era Is Already Turning Heads Across The SEC
Alex Golesh has barely settled into his new job at Auburn, but the early signs of his reset are already drawing attention around the SEC. After a stretch of instability that saw the Tigers cycle through six head coaches across a run of losing seasons, Golesh arrives with the kind of conference background that gives his voice some instant credibility, and he is wasting little time trying to change the feel of the program.
One of the clearest examples has come during fall camp, where players are staying together in a hotel as part of Goleshs effort to build a different culture. SEC analyst Paul Finebaum has already signaled support for the approach, seeing it as a positive step for a program trying to steady itself. For Auburn, the real test is still ahead, but the new staffs message is being noticed well beyond Tuscaloosa and the Plains. [Read more 🡒]
Former Auburn Staffer Just Surfaced Inside Alabamas Program
A familiar football family is showing up around Alabamas practices, with Dave Wommack and Dominic Studzinski both spending time around the program. Dave Wommack, a retired defensive coordinator, has been around as a resource at practices and games, while Studzinski has been helping in the weight room even though he is not listed on the staff directory.
The connection runs deep, stretching back to their shared coaching days at Ole Miss in 2012 and 2013, when the same circle of personnel worked together in the South. For Auburn fans, the name attached to Studzinski may stand out even more because of where he worked before, making his quiet presence in Tuscaloosa the kind of detail that tends to get noticed long before it gets officially explained. [Read more 🡒]