Will
Burns
Will Burns is a 6-foot-2 redshirt junior quarterback from Mission Viejo, California, on Southern Utah's 2026 roster. He ran for 148 yards and two touchdowns and threw for two more in the Thunderbirds' 47-42 Beehive Bowl win over Weber State on Sept. 5, 2026.
Who is Will Burns?
Will Burns is a Quarterback for SUU's football program from Mission Viejo, California. 2026 vs. Weber State: 148 rush yds, 2 rush TD, 146 pass yds, 2 pass TD; 2025: 380 rush yds, 4 TD in 11 games
A Beehive Bowl to remember
Burns gave Southern Utah the first score of its 2026 home opener with a touchdown run against Weber State, and he kept going. Southern Utah's recap credits him with 148 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries, including a 75-yard run, plus 146 passing yards and two touchdowns on 10-of-18 passing in the 47-42 Beehive Bowl win at Eccles Coliseum on Sept. 5. Two weeks later at St. Thomas, he hit Mark Bails for a late touchdown pass as the Thunderbirds pulled within 28-26.
A dual threat in 2025
Burns appeared in 11 games as a redshirt sophomore in 2025, running for 380 yards and four touchdowns on 49 carries and completing 22 of 31 passes for 272 yards and a touchdown. His best rushing day was 107 yards against Idaho State, with a 72-yard run. At Tarleton State on Oct. 4, he ran for 101 net yards, including a 67-yard touchdown run, and completed 12 of 17 passes for 121 yards and another score. At North Alabama he accounted for 161 total yards and two touchdowns.
Golden West, Texas Tech and Trabuco Hills
Before Cedar City, Burns spent one season at Golden West College and was named the Southern California Football Association Offensive Player of the Year. He completed 158 of 256 passes for 1,857 yards and 22 touchdowns, ran for 650 yards and seven more, and led the league with 29 total touchdowns. Earlier he played two seasons of baseball at Texas Tech and was on the Red Raiders' roster as a quarterback in 2023.
At Trabuco Hills High School he was the Sea View League co-MVP at quarterback in the fall of 2022, with 3,458 total yards, 25 passing touchdowns and nine rushing touchdowns in 10 games.
At a glance
Key achievements
- 148 rushing yards, 2 rushing TDs and 2 passing TDs in Southern Utah's 47-42 Beehive Bowl win over Weber State (Sept. 5, 2026)
- 2025 at Southern Utah: 380 rushing yards and 4 touchdowns in 11 games
- 2024 Southern California Football Association Offensive Player of the Year at Golden West College (1,857 passing yards, 22 TDs)
- Sea View League co-MVP at quarterback for Trabuco Hills (2022)
Official sources
This athlete page stays public because the school, image, and supporting facts can be checked quickly.
Southern Utah Athletics
- Will Burns roster pagesuutbirds.com
- Quarterback Clash: Thunderbirds enter 2025 with depthsuutbirds.com
- SUU football 2026 schedule (Big Sky slate)suutbirds.com
- Southern Utah opens 2025 with a 46-24 win over Idaho State (Aug 30, 2025)espn.com
- Southern Utah: Thunderbirds win wild Beehive Bowl battle over Weber State (Sept. 5, 2026)suutbirds.com
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What each source confirms
- Southern Utah: Thunderbirds win wild Beehive Bowl battle over Weber State (Sept. 5, 2026)
- Opening TD run (the recap gives both 11 and seven yards, so no distance is used); 148 rushing yards and 2 TDs on 13 carries with a 75-yard run; 10 of 18 for 146 yards and 2 TDs; 47-42 final.
- Southern Utah: Thunderbirds' comeback bid falls short at St. Thomas (Sept. 19, 2026)
- Late touchdown pass to Mark Bails to pull within 28-26. The recap's own stat figures disagree, so none are used.
- Southern Utah: box score at Tarleton State (Oct. 4, 2025)
- 13 rushes, 127 gained, 26 lost, 101 net, 1 TD (67-yard run); 12 of 17 passing for 121 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT.
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