KODI! KODI! KODI!

Burns opens AU spring practice in 4-man race at QB

AUBURN – Tony Franklin watched the images on the large television screen in his office and wondered what in the world happened.

Kodi Burns, as a senior at Fort Smith (Ark.) High School, was throwing the ball with accuracy and with confidence, completing long passes and short passes.  

“In his high school tape, he is phenomenal throwing the football,” said Franklin, who took over for Al Borges last December as Auburn’s offensive coordinator and installed his version the spread. “I talked to his high school coaches. I told them I might need to bring them up and let them coach him for a week.”

Burns, who went through a bumpy and challenging freshman season in 2007, will be one of four quarterbacks competing to replace departed starter Brandon Cox when Auburn opens spring practice today.

“He’s a dynamic player with the ball in his hands,” Franklin said. “It’s just a matter of getting him confident and comfortable again where he can be dynamic throwing as well as running.”

Franklin says the four quarterback candidates – Burns, sophomore Neil Caudle, junior college transfer Chris Todd and freshman DeRon Furr – will start spring practice even. He says he wants to identify the starter as quickly as possible.

“I watch them in everything they do – early-morning workouts, going to class,” Franklin said. “To me, all that stuff is very important for a quarterback. Are you leading everywhere? All that stuff goes into eventually making a final decision as to who the guy is and who can best help us win.”

Burns finished his freshman season in spectacular fashion, sprinting to the game-ending touchdown as Auburn defeated Clemson 23-20 in the Chick-fil-a Bowl. It was a season that was at times exhilarating, but one in which his confidence was shaken.

On Sept. 15, Burns came off the bench to lead Auburn to two touchdowns in a 19-14 loss to Mississippi State. He started a week later against New Mexico State and threw a 58-yard touchdown pass to Rod Smith. But he completed just 1-of-5 passes and gave way to Cox. For the remainder of the season, he played sparingly, mostly in running situations.  

When the opportunity came to throw again in a blowout win over Tennessee Tech, he struggled badly. It wasn’t until the bowl game that he had another significant opportunity.

“There were a lot of people questioning me,” Burns said. “I felt like the coaches wouldn’t let me throw. Somewhere along the way, I lost confidence. I actually put in my high school tape not long ago, too. I was like ‘Man, we used to throw the ball almost every down and I was completing every pass.’ When I got here, I kind of lost my confidence.

“Basically, it’s all in the mind. It’s in the back of your mind that people are doubting you, even some coaches and players. Working during the offseason, I think I’ve gained a lot of respect.”  

Burns says he recognizes the quarterback competition will be fierce. He has seen enough of this three competitors to know they won’t go away quietly.

“There are a lot of good quarterbacks on this team,” Burns said. “I feel like I have a lot of ability. I feel like people haven’t seen but a little bit of what I can do. I feel like, if they name me the starting quarterback, people will see some great things.”

Franklin says his four quarterbacks all have displayed the qualities for which he looks in a starter. It’s a matter now of seeing what happens when the heat is turned up on the field.

Todd, a 6-foot-3 and 220 pounds, will go through his first Auburn practice today. But he knows plenty about playing for Franklin. He threw for 10,776 yards and 120 touchdowns at Elizabethtown (Ky.) High School. Franklin, hired as a consultant to install his scheme, actually coached Todd during his sophomore season.

“I went two days a week and coached Chris and the whole offense all the way through the state championship game,” Franklin said.

Todd went on to Texas Tech, where he completed 25-of-35 passes for 241 yards as a redshirt freshman before transferring to junior college. Todd had committed to Troy, but when Franklin moved to Auburn, he followed him.

“It’s kind of crazy how it happened,” Todd said. “A lot was going on. It worked out good for him, and I’m excited about the situation. It’s fun to go out and compete and try to win the job. I’m ready to see how we can get things rolling.”

With nine days of bowl practice in Franklin’s offense, Burns, Todd and Caudle know what to expect. Furr will be indoctrinated starting today.

Contrary to a widespread notion, Franklin says his offense is not necessarily designed to feature a running quarterback.

“Nah, not at all,” Franklin said. “The game is a lot easier to call if the quarterback can run some, but he doesn’t have to run a lot. It’s more important that he can do it a little, enough so the defense has to account for him.

“What I want more than anything is a guy that can avoid the rush, and if he has to run, he can.”