#33 Tyler Burns

Redshirt Junior | 5-11 | 215 lbs. | Wichita, Kansas

Courtesy Kansas State Athletics

• Position: Running Back
• Previous College: None
• Projection: Special Teams
• Status: Preferred Walk-On

Tyler Cole Burns (b. Sept. 9, 1996) is a dynamic athlete who has high-end speed.

He redshirted the 2016 season and was a co-winner of the team’s Red Raider Award as the top scout team contributor, and was set to compete at running back and play on special teams in 2017, when he saw action in every game, finishing with four special teams tackles.

Three of Burns’ stops came on punt coverage to tie for team-high honors.

He rushed 10 times for 30 yards, including a season-high 15 yards on five carries against Charlotte, and also carded 11 yards on three attempts against Central Arkansas and 4 yards on two rushes against UCLA in the Cactus Bowl.

For reasons officially unknown, Burns was not a member of the program in 2018, but with the advent of a new coaching staff, it appears that is water under the bridge and he is back.

Burns originally signed with K-State out of high school in 2015, but deferred his enrollment to the following January. He rushed eight times for 23 yards and two touchdowns in the 2016 spring game, as well as five times for 19 yards in the 2017 spring game.

Burns’ older brother, Morgan, was a captain and 2015 All-American kick returner for the Wildcats. They didn’t get to play together because Morgan never redshirted, however.

Tyler played for Trinity Academy under head coach Jared McDaniel; was rated the eighth-best prospect in the state of Kansas by ESPN in 2015; was an All-Class 4A-II selection as both a running back and defensive back by The Wichita Eagle as a senior in 2014; and earned all-state honors as a running back from The Topeka Capital-Journal.

Burns picked up honorable mention all-state accolades in both 2012 and 2013, then rushed for 1,662 yards and scored 26 touchdowns as a senior. Following graduation, he was selected to play in the 2015 Kansas Shrine Bowl.

Burns was named the Central Plains League MVP in 2013 and 2014; was a first-team all-league running back as a sophomore, junior and senior; and also earned honorable mention all-league honors as a defensive back in 2013.