Shortly after news broke that the New York Giants intended to hire Burton Burns as their next running backs coach, several of his former players tweeted out their support and let Saquon Barkley know he was getting.
Among them was Baltimore Ravens running back Mark Ingram II, the son of former Giants wide receiver Mark Ingram Sr. and one of Burton’s former players at Alabama.
“Saquon is elite, and I think he’s going to be trying to add value to Saquon,” Ingram also told the New York Post. “Obviously Saquon is special, and I think Coach Burns will give him tools that will help him be even more special.
“He’s just getting a coach who loves his players, who was very knowledgeable about the game of football, who understands the running back position, understands running backs’ eyes and knows how to teach running backs how to be an elite running back. He’s a great coach, great father figure and an asset to any organization because of the person he is.”
But the admiration for Burns didn’t begin or end with praise from Ingram. And at the 2020 NFL Combine in Indianapolis, it became clear just how widely respected Burns is.
Burns has been out of football for several years, but had previously spent a decade (2007-2017) coaching the running backs at Alabama, where he had crossed paths with Joe Judge.
Prior to his time at Alabama, Burns spent several years (1999-2006) coaching the running backs Clemson, while also serving as an assistant at both Tulane (1994-1998) and Southern (1981-1985).
