Zohn Burden was hired as Maryland’s wide receivers coach on February 16, 2021. Hailing from Virginia, Burden has spent his whole career recruiting and coaching in the area, most recently at Virginia Tech.
Burden coached at Virginia Tech for five seasons between 2015-19, serving the wide receivers coach in 2015 and the running backs coach from 2016-19. The Hokies won 40 games in Burden’s five seasons in Blacksburg, including an ACC Coastal Division title in 2016 and bowl game appearance in all five seasons.
The Virginia native was instrumental in Virginia Tech’s recruiting efforts, helping put together three top-30 classes and sign 21 four-star recruits, according to 247Sports.
Virginia Tech averaged over 170 rushing yards per game in each of Burden’s four seasons as the Hokies running backs coach. In 2018, Burden oversaw the rushing quartet of running backs Steven Peoples, Deshawn McClease, Jalen Holsten and Terius Wheatley in 2018, a foursome that combined for 332 carries for 1,626 yards (4.9 avg.) with 11 rushing TDs.
A record-setting collegiate receiver in his own right at VMI, Burden helped develop current Miami Dolphins wide receiver Isaiah Ford into Virginia Tech’s first pass catcher to ever produce a 1,000-yard season in 2015 when he set a single-season school record with 1,164 yards, including a 12-catch, 227-yard effort in the Independence Bowl. Burden also played a role in the development of WR Cam Phillips, who caught 49 passes for 582 yards with a pair of TDs under his tutelage in 2015.
Prior to Virginia Tech, Burden had two stints at Old Dominion, the most recent as the Monarchs passing game coordinator/wide receivers coach from 2012-14, where he groomed 1,000-yard wideouts such as Antonio Vaughan, Zach Pascal, Larry Pinkard and Nick Mayers.
Under Burden, Old Dominion was one of only 13 FBS schools in 2014 to have three players with 40 or more catches and one of 16 schools to have four players with 30 or more receptions. Antonio Vaughan produced his best collegiate season with 63 catches for a league-high 1,019 yards with his 12 touchdowns tying for fourth among all FCS programs.
With Burden serving as passing game coordinator in 2013, Old Dominion ranked fourth in the FCS in scoring offense (42.3 ppg), fourth in passing offense (359.4 ypg) and seventh in total offense (519.0 ypg) as Pinkard led the squad with 68 catches for 1,020 yards.
Burden helped lead the most prolific FCS offense in 2012 as the Monarchs led the nation in scoring (45.2 ppg), total offense (548.2 ypg), passing offense (393.8 ypg) and TD passes (44). Nick Mayers tied for second among FCS performers with a school-record 16 TD catches. He also set single-season school records with 79 catches for 1,233 yards earning All-America honors from College Sports Madness and Beyond Sports Network.
In his one season at Richmond in 2011, Burden developed wide receiver Tre Gray into a record-setting receiver. He earned third team All-America honors from the AP after leading the Colonial Athletic Association and setting Richmond single-season records with 95 receptions for 1,187 yards.
In his first tenure at Old Dominion from 2007-10, Burden served as the defensive backs coach, helping to build a roster from scratch as the Monarchs got on the field in 2009 and produced a 9-2 mark, the best record for a first-year program in the modern era of college football.
Burden began his coaching career in 2006 at Fork Union Military Academy where he coached wide receivers and defensive backs while also serving as the passing game coordinator and recruiting liaison.
The Salem, Va. native was a Three-time All-Big South wide receiver himself at the Virginia Military Institute from 2002-05, finishing his career with 162 receptions for 2,101 yards (13.0 avg.) with 12 touchdowns for the Keydets. His 162 catches rank second in school history behind only Mark Stock (165) while his yardage tally is third in VMI history. Burden racked up 58 catches for 742 yards and three TDs as a senior in 2005, tying as the second-best season reception total at the school. Also had 57 catches as a junior in 2004.
Burden has four children, Zaria, Zamir, Langston and Zohn.
