2009 Football Roster
Roster
Charles Burns
- Position:
- DL
- Height:
- 6-1
- Weight:
- 280
- Class:
- Senior
- Hometown:
- Hattiesburg, MS
- High School/Previous School:
- Hattiesburg HS
- Career & Game-By-Game Statistics
CAREER:
Pressed into immediate service at Mississippi State on the defensive line from the beginning of his collegiate career . . . Has played in 34 games of his career at a defensive end position, starting six times . . . Has made 18 tackles in mostly reserve work, registering two and one-half tackles for loss (minus 14 yards), one and one-half of which were quarterback sacks (minus 11 yards) . . . Also credited with two pass deflections at the line of scrimmage . . . Came to State following a solid high school career in which he earned plaudits for his work at linebacker.
2008:
Played in all 12 games, earning four starting assignments at defensive end . . . Earned four-straight starts at mid-season (Weeks 4-7) . . . Made 13 total tackles on the year, including two and one-half for loss (minus 14 yards), one and one-half of which were quarterback sacks (minus 11 yards) . . . Deflected two passes at the line of scrimmage . . . Limited to four plays in the season opener at Louisiana Tech after battling injury throughout pre-season . . . After not making a hit in the season’s first two weeks, he rebounded to record 11 in the next five weeks (2.2 per game) . . . Credited with three tackles and a pass deflection at the line of scrimmage in Mississippi State’s SEC opener vs. Auburn . . . Recorded two tackles a week later at Georgia Tech . . . Made one tackle and had one pass deflection at LSU in Week 5 . . . Credited with one tackle, a quarterback sack (minus 5 yards) in State’s mid-season win over Vanderbilt . . . Combined with Brandon Cooper on a 10-yard sack mid-way through the second quarter in the victory over the Commodores . . . Registered four tackles, including a half tackle for loss, at Tennessee in Week 7 . . . Had a 6-yard quarterback sack at Alabama in Week 10 . . . Credited with one tackle, a half-tackle for loss (minus 3 yards) in the Bulldogs’ win over Arkansas.
2007:
Missed the entire ’07 season after undergoing surgery on both shoulders during August two-a-days . . . Will be granted a medical redshirt to retrieve his junior season.
2006:
Opened his sophomore season as the top reserve at defensive end . . . Played in 11 games during his sophomore season, earning one starting call . . . Saw action in all but the Jacksonville State game at midseason due to injury, starting the Week 3 contest vs. Tulane . . . Made three tackles on the season . . . Earned the first start of his sophomore campaign in Week 3 against Tulane . . . Missed his first career game during the Bulldogs’ Week 7 win over Jacksonville State, nursing a shoulder injury.
2005:
Outstanding August practice session catapulted him into the rotation of defensive ends during his true freshman campaign . . . Impressed the coaching staff with his quickness and work ethic . . . Played in all 11 games during his true freshman season, working both on special teams and as a valuable reserve at defensive end . . . Earned his first collegiate start in the season’s final game . . . Registered two tackles on the year . . . Made his first collegiate tackle in Week 3 work against Tulane in Shreveport.
HIGH SCHOOL:
Rated the No. 41 inside linebacker in the country by the Rivals.com recruiting web site . . . Credited with a 315-pound bench press max by Rivals . . . That site rated him as the No. 16 prospect in the state of Mississippi, the list’s second-best linebacker . . . Superprep rated him No. 12 among the top prospects in the state in its pre-signing day all-America issue . . . Rated No. 15 on the Scout.com postseason list of the state’s top 30 players . . . Had a standout spring 2004 NIKE camp at Baton Rouge . . . Finished among the top five players among all defensive ends in all four measured categories (40-yard dash, shuttle run, bench press and vertical leap) at the camp . . . His 21 repetitions of 185 pounds on the bench was the best among all ends . . . Played defensive end for head coach Buddy Duke at Hattiesburg (Miss.) High School until his senior season when he moved to inside linebacker . . . Selected to play in the Bernard Blackwell all-star classic following his senior season . . . Started for four years at HHS . . . Overcame an injury-plagued beginning to his high school career to have a standout senior season . . . Suffered torn medial collateral and posterior collateral ligament injuries during his sophomore season and underwent hernia surgery during his junior campaign . . . Registered six sacks during that injury-marred junior year in which he played just four games . . . Had 11 sacks as a sophomore . . . Also an outstanding shot putter on the HHS track team . . . Carried a 3.2 grade point average in the classroom . . . Other top scholarship offers: West Virginia, Notre Dame and Ole Miss . . . Committed to MSU in December 2004.
PERSONAL:
Born Charles Jerome Burns, 5-8-86, in Hattiesburg, Miss. . . . Son of Mr. and Mrs. Douglas Smith . . . Majoring is undeclared.
![Jacksonville Jaguars punter Logan Cooke (9) punts during the second quarter of an NFL football matchup at EverBank Stadium, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. The Jaguars defeated the Jets 48-20. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]](https://images.sidearmdev.com/resize?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdxbhsrqyrr690.cloudfront.net%2Fsidearm.nextgen.sites%2Fmsstate.sidearmsports.com%2Fimages%2F2026%2F1%2F1%2FUSATSI_27828199.jpg&height=340&type=webp)
