Buying in and getting tougher physically and mentally keys for Kent State football team

The end of the 2023 college football season was a time of reflection for Kent State head football coach Kenni Burns.

On the surface, a 1-11 campaign speaks for itself. The Flashes did not beat an NCAA FBS team last year. The closest they came was at rival Akron in November. A 17-point fourth quarter lead suddenly turned into a last-second defeat.

"it was a learning experience for everybody," Burns said. "The roster, first and foremost, under my leadership, and then me being a first-time head coach.

"When the season ended, I sat back and restudied the whole thing. I said 'Where do we need to get better at?'"

Burns restudied every practice and every game. Then he identified three areas of emphasis for the offseason.

"We had to get everybody who was coming back — coaches, players, everyone — aligned with the vision of Kent Grit," Burns said of the program's theme. "We had some tough one-on-one meetings. Some guys moved on. Some guys stayed and chose us. We had four new coaches come in, guys who believe what I believe in."

"The second thing was a transformation physically. I didn't think we looked like a MAC championship team. We needed to get bigger, faster and stronger. I hired a new strength coach, Charles Friday, who has done a great job. He has made this summer the hardest some of these guys have ever seen.

"We also had to get mentally and emotionally tougher. We weren't a very tough football team last year, When adversity and discomfort hit, we didn't handle it very well."

Burns knows that 1-11 can quickly turn around. Minnesota head coach P.J. Fleck had the same record in his first season at Western Michigan in 2013. When Burns was on his staff three years later, the Broncos went 13-1, were ranked as high as 15th in the nation and played in the Cotton Bowl.

Fleck's best advice to Burns during the offseason was to stay the course.

"He said you get your guys in there, you develop your guys in your system," Burns said. "You don't sacrifice what you want right now for what you want down the road.

"That was a big thing for me. I want to stay the course, have alignment with all the people I deal with and trust myself in the process."

Burns feels this is an exciting time to be in a Group of Five conference like the MAC. If the Flashes or any team in the MAC upsets a Power Five opponent in September and go unbeaten in the league, that team would likely make the expanded playoffs.

"For the first time in history, there's a clear path to compete for a national championship," Burns said.

The Flashes are still a long way from being in that position. The MAC's coaches picked them to finish in last place this season. Kent State's non-conference schedule also includes the season opener at Pitt on Aug. 31 and road games at Tennessee and Penn State.

"Everybody is looking at this schedule as a difficult schedule," Burns said. "I told the team this is the most opportunistic schedule. There are tons of opportunities here to stun the world."

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This article originally appeared on The Repository: Buying in and getting tougher physically and mentally keys for Kent State football team