33 DAYS TO KICKOFF: Morgan Burns

#33 Morgan Burns True Senior 5-11 | 201 Wichita, Kan. Bio

Position: Defensive Back Previous College: None Projection: Starter Status: On Scholarship

Morgan Scott Burns (b. May 19, 1993) is one of the fastest players on the team, and has been a factor on both defense and special teams. He enrolled in spring as a grayshirt, but still has a redshirt season available if needed.

Burns will look to retain his starting spot at cornerback while continuing to be a regular in the kick return game.

He also was voted a team captain for the 2015 season, and earned 2015 preseason All-Big 12 honors as a kick returner from Athlon and Phil Steele. He is one of our top returning tackles and will be a prominent team leader.

Burns was the No. 14 player in the state of Kansas in 2010 as a high school senior, according to Rivals.com.

A three-time all-league pick at both defensive back and running back, and a two-time all-metro selection, Burns rushed for 2,700 yards and 36 touchdowns during his last two seasons at Trinity Academy in Wichita.

During his senior season, Burns rushed for more than 1,400 yards and 10 touchdowns on offense, while recording 60 tackles and 10 interceptions from the defensive backfield.

He also (and this is most important) was a state champion in track in the 100-, 200- and 400-meter races, because he is fast as hell. That's probably the primary reason Burns did not redshirt in 2012, tallying 11 tackles in 12 games.

Instead, he led the Big 12 champions with 10 special teams tackles. He had two tackles against Miami, West Virginia and Texas Tech, while he carded one tackle in five other games.

In 2013, Burns again played in 12 games. Although he tallied kickoff coverage tackles against Oklahoma State and Baylor, his lack of any defensive tackles represented a notable sophomore slump. But he bounced back in 2014.

Last season, Burns broke through as a starter in all 12 games at cornerback, finishing sixth on the squad with 55 tackles, tying for second on the team with three interceptions and tallying seven pass breakups.

Two of his interceptions came against Texas Tech to tie for the most in the Big 12 during the season and the seventh most in a game in school history.

Burns then carded a career-high eight tackles during the next game at then-No. 11 Oklahoma and intercepted his third pass of the year in the end zone to halt a potential scoring drive for the Sooners.

In all, he had four games with six tackles, including against Kansas, when he carded his first-career sack. He also excelled in the return game by averaging 30.7 yards on 12 kickoff returns, ranking third in the Big 12 in average.

Burns returned a kickoff 86 yards for a touchdown against Oklahoma State, pushing K-State’s kickoff-return touchdown streak to a national-best 10-straight seasons. He also totaled 105 kickoff-return yards on three attempts against Stephen F. Austin, while he had a 65-yard return against Kansas.