Seems like having a former DC as your DB coach can't be too bad of a thing.
Tibesar was a DC
True, Tibs was obviously not a good D1 DC, but he was a pretty solid special teams coordinator for us. Maybe Burns will turn out to be a solid DBs coach for us after showing he wasn't a great DC.
Burns, a former Broyles Award finalist as the nation's top assistant coach, just completed his 26th year in the college coaching ranks. A former head coach at Tulsa, he comes to Manhattan having served the past six seasons on the staff at San Jose State, including three as defensive coordinator.
Last season, the Spartans ranked 22nd nationally in pass defense, yielding just 183.7 yards per game through the air. Burns' son, Tanner, led the San Jose secondary with 96 tackles and two interceptions from his safety position, while Duke Ihenacho was one of five Western Athletic Conference players to repeat as a first-team all-league selection. He had 89 tackles last season, broke up six passes, forced two fumbles, recovered one and intercepted one pass.
In 2008, Burns coordinated a San Jose State defense that ranked in the top-20 nationally in tackles for loss (7th), passing defense (10th) and quarterback sacks (11). The Spartans also finished 21st nationally in both points allowed and turnover margin in 2008.
