Craig, 41, is the fifth Auburn assistant to leave the program since the end of the regular season and the most notable departure from the offensive coaching staff in Gus Malzahn’s tenure. “He coached a Heisman Trophy winning quarterback at Florida State and developed some outstanding receivers at Auburn”.
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In announcing the hire, Malzahn said he was “excited” to bring Burns back to the program.
Dameyune Craig was one of Auburn’s top recruiters.
Burns was hired as Arizona State’s running backs coach in January, but without coaching a single snap at the school is coming back to the plains where he played in the 2010 BCS National Championship game as a player and 2013 title game as an offensive assistant.
“I want to thank the Auburn family for all of their love and support over the years”, Craig said.
Charged with coordinating FSU’s recruiting efforts, Craig’s time in that role helped produce the No. 1 and No. 2 recruiting classes in 2011-12 and recruited 2013 Heisman Trophy victor Jameis Winston to the Seminoles. “I was fortunate to be a part of very successful teams at Auburn, and I look forward to helping the program be successful in the future”. He was the 2012 Scout ACC Recruiter of the Year as well as the Rivals ACC Recruiter of the Year.
Kodi Burns has returned to where he began his college career, to where he endeared himself to Auburn fans by showing what being a team guy is all about, to where he now completes a coaching staff that begins spring practice in two weeks.
All recruit rankings courtesy of 247Sports.
Craig tutored Florida State quarterbacks E.J. Manuel and Christian Ponder. What’s even more interesting, is sources indicate that Craig reached out to LSU initially about the running backs position. Miles gave Raymond a one-year extension through the 2017 season and a $65,000 raise, making his yearly salary $375,000.
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As a player, Burns spent two years as a quarterback for Auburn before transitioning to receiver. Craig, who led Auburn to an 18-7 mark in 25 career starts, was an exceptional student-athlete on and off the field, earning Academic All-SEC honors as a senior in 1997.
