Chris Ash Names Shane Burnham Defensive Line Coach
Dec 31 | Football
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Rutgers head football coach Chris Ash named Shane Burnham defensive line coach, it was announced today. A four-year varsity letterwinner at South Carolina at linebacker, Burnham spent the last seven seasons on the staff at Iowa State, including working with Ash in Ames in 2009. He also overlapped with Rutgers offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer at ISU from 2010-11.
"I am excited to be reunited with Shane here at Rutgers," said Ash. "We have worked together in the past and I have always been impressed with the way he teaches, the way he recruits and how he takes care of his players. Shane understands our defense and how we want the defensive line coached in our system."
Burnham worked in 2015 with the Cyclones' inside linebackers after spending the previous six years focusing on defensive tackles in a unit run by his father, defensive coordinator Wally Burnham. He added oversight of special teams starting in 2012.
Switching to a 3-4 defensive scheme this past season, Iowa State posted 30 sacks with 74 tackles for loss and picked up a shutout conference victory over Texas. On special teams, the Cyclones rank third in the nation with a 17.41 yard average on punt returns.
Under Burnham's guidance, several defensive tackles saw marked improvement over the years to help the program to three bowl appearances. Defensive tackle Nate Frere finished his career under Burnham in 2009, completing his eligibility with 69 tackles, 34 of them in 2009. It was Stephen Ruempolhamer who stepped up under Burnham's coaching in 2010-11. Ruempolhamer finished his career with 91 tackles, 14 for loss and six sacks. Former walk-on Patrick Neal closed out his career with 98 tackles and 5.5 sacks. In 2012, Burnham helped mentor Jake McDonough into an All-Big 12 first-team performer. McDonough, who signed an NFL contract, had 36 tackles, including 5.5 for loss.
Burnham helped the ISU special teams post a pair of kickoffs returned for touchdowns in 2013, as the Cyclones had not had a kickoff return (non-onside kick) for a touchdown since 1994. It marked the first time since 1963 where the Cyclones had two kickoff returns for a touchdown in a season.
Iowa State ranked in the top-20 nationally in both kickoff return and punt return defense in 2014. Jarvis West tallied his second career special teams touchdown when he raced 82 yards to the end zone versus Kansas State. It was the ninth-longest punt return in school history. West and Aaron Wimberly graduated with top-five career kickoff return averages, with Wimberly's 26.45 career kickoff return clip being the second-best mark in school history.
Prior to working at Iowa State, Burnham spent four seasons (2005-08) at Elon as the linebackers/defensive ends coach and special teams coordinator. Elon finished the 2008 season ranked 19th in the final FCS coaches poll. The Phoenix were third in the Southern Conference and 29th nationally in total defense and landed second in the conference and 30th in the country in scoring defense. At Elon, Burnham coached Chad Nkang to SoCon Defensive Player-of-the-Year and All-America honors and he was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars.
As special teams coordinator, Burnham saw the Elon punt return unit rank 17th nationally by averaging 11.93 yards per return in 2007. Senior Michael Mayers, a first-team All-SoCon selection as a return specialist, ranked seventh in the country by averaging 28.77 yards per kickoff return that fall.
Burnham joined the Phoenix staff for the 2005 season after serving at The Citadel as a linebackers coach in 2004. Previously, Burnham was a linebackers coach at Richmond for four years (1998, 2001-03). While there, he coached All-Atlantic 10 Conference selections Adrian Archie and Mark Thompson. He also helped the Spiders claim a conference title and an NCAA I-AA playoff berth during his tenure.
A 1998 graduate of South Carolina, Burnham earned a bachelor's of science degree in exercise science while collecting four varsity letters for the Gamecocks' football team. The two-year starter was named his team's most outstanding inside linebacker as both a junior and a senior. As a senior, the three-time Academic All-SEC choice received his team's leadership award and was named the Honda/Jefferson-Pilot Scholar-Athlete of the Week for his performance in games against both Kentucky and Auburn.
Burnham is married to the former Meagan Drolet, who was a swimmer at Virginia Tech. The couple are parents of three daughters Lindsay, Brady and Wyatt.
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