Pair of former SEC assistants named to New Orleans Saints coaching staff

The New Orleans Saints announced their coaching staff for the 2022 season Wednesday. Two former SEC assistant coaches were included on the list in Doug Marrone and Kodi Burns.

Marrone is set to take over as the offensive line coach after serving the same role for Alabama this past season. He brings plenty of NFL experience, including as the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars from 2017-20. The coach previously served on the Saints coaching staff as offensive coordinator and offensive line coach from 2006-08.

Under the direction of Marrone this past season, the Alabama offensive line finished 36th in sack rate and 46th in power success rate according to Football Outsiders. Marrone also got the opportunity to coach Evan Neal, a projected top five pick in the upcoming NFL draft.

Burns is venturing into NFL waters for the first time in his career after spending the past 10 seasons at the college level. He was most recently the receivers coach for the Tennessee Volunteers this past season after six years with his alma mater, Auburn. In addition to being a receivers coach, he was also a co-offensive coordinator and passing game coordinator for the Tigers.

After coming in as a quarterback out of high school, Burns made the switch to play receiver at Auburn during his junior season in 2009. He was a senior during the 2010 season when the Tigers went undefeated on their way to claiming the BCS National Championship. Burns came away with a 35-yard touchdown coach in the national title game against Oregon.

New Orleans finished this past season with a 9-8 record to miss the playoffs for the first time since 2016. Longtime head coach Sean Payton announced his retirement at the end of the season, and the franchise promoted defensive coordinator Dennis Allen as his replacement. Ryan Nielson and Kris Richard will share defensive coordinator duties with Allen moving up.

With quarterback Drew Brees retiring a year before Payton in 2020, the Saints are preparing to enter a new era. Based on the additions of Marrone and Burns, they’ve so far gotten off to a good start.