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Goal No. 15: LEADERSHIP.Everyone can set the example.

#15 Kamari Burns

Redshirt Junior* | 6-3 | 302 lbs. (+11) | Columbus, Ohio

• Position: Defensive Tackle
• Previous College: University of Cincinnati
• Projection: Starter
• Remaining Eligibility: 2 years
• Status: On Scholarship

Kamari Burns (b. Jan. 29, 2005) is a promising transfer defensive tackle from Cincinnati with great potential who is majoring in criminal justice. Our defensive hopes may well rest on his ability to stop the run consistently.

Burns played for the Bearcats against Oklahoma State in 2023 as he retained his redshirt.

He then played in six games in 2024 — including a start in the season opener against Towson — as he carded five tackles and half a tackle for loss (TFL) over his 130 defensive snaps. Burns set a career high with three tackles at Iowa State, while he had single tackles against both Towson and Miami (Ohio), the latter of which was half a TFL.

Last season, he saw playing time in 11 games, producing 11 tackles and half a sack over his 174 defensive snaps.

Burns tied a career high with three tackles against UCF and equaled that mark at Utah. His half-sack came against the Knights, and he also had single tackles against Nebraska, Bowling Green, Northwestern State, Oklahoma State and Arizona.

Burns prepped under head coach Bruce Ward at Gahanna (Ohio) Lincoln High School, where he was regarded as the 47th-best edge defender in the Class of 2023 by Rivals, while ESPN rated him the 17th-best overall prospect in the state of Ohio.

He earned Division I All-Ohio second-team and All-Central District first-team accolades as a senior in 2022 after totaling 65 tackles, 27 tackles for loss and nine sacks, also earning Columbus Dispatch All-Metro Team honors.

Burns led the Lions to a 13-2 record in 2022, highlighted by an 11-game winning streak and a state semifinal appearance. Gahanna Lincoln also produced its first district title in 21 years and first regional title in 40 years.

Burns, who also competed in basketball as a prep, originally chose Cincinnati over offers from Akron, Bowling Green, Eastern Michigan, Indiana, James Madison, Kent State, Kentucky, Marshall, Miami (Ohio), Michigan, Ohio, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Tennessee, Toledo, Virginia Tech, West Virginia and Western Kentucky.

In spring, defensive coordinator Jordan Peterson said Burns “has done an awfully good job” in camp:

All those guys on the inside have at times done the things that we’re wanting them to do, and we just need to see it on a consistent basis.

And head coach Collin Klein also praised his consistency during his spring press conference:

Burns has probably been the most consistent in that (competition) … just from a performance standpoint.

*K-State has recently announced a new classification scheme that designates players by their year of eligibility regardless of whether they have “redshirted,” a term that will go out of use with the new “5-for-5” rule. Thus, the KSU SID lists Burns as a true senior even though he barely played in 2023. For the sake of consistency with past posts, I will continue to designate redshirts based on their playing history, but also note their remaining eligibility to stay consistent with the new designations as well.

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