Burns lettered in football at
Navarro Junior College in
Corsicana, Texas, where he garnered first-team
JuCo All-America honors, and finished his sophomore season with six
sacks, three
interceptions, and 192
tackles. Burns then transferred to
Oklahoma State for the 1992–1993 season and immediately made an impact with 126 tackles (102 solo), 5 sacks, and 3 forced fumbles. He was voted captain of the team after just four games and was named the Big Eight Conference's Defensive Newcomer of the Year. Entering his final year at Oklahoma State, he made several pre-season All-America teams and was ranked the No. 1 inside linebacker by
The Sporting News. He was named to the conference's All-Big Eight team both of his years there. ==Playing career==