COLLEGE PARK, Md. (UMTerps.com) - University of Maryland Head Football Coach Michael Locksley announced Tuesday the hiring of Zohn Burden to his coaching staff. Burden, a Virginia Beach native, will coach wide receivers for the Terrapins.
"Zohn comes highly recommended by numerous people that I respect in the coaching ranks," Locksley said. "He's from the talent-rich Tidewater region and should be a tremendous asset for us recruiting that area, in addition to his ability to develop our talented wide receiver unit."
Burden has spent his whole career recruiting and coaching in Virginia, most recently at Virginia Tech. He 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. Burden was instrumental in Virginia Tech's recruiting efforts, helping put together three top-30 classes and sign 21 four-star recruits, according to 247Sports.
"I'm grateful to Coach Locksley for this opportunity and am excited for what I can add to and learn from the coaching staff he's assembled," said Burden. "The wide receiver room is full of talent and I'm looking forward to helping continue their development. Maryland has really pushed the envelope in recruiting under Coach Locksley and I'm hoping that my relationships can only continue to help us grow in that area. It's an exciting time to be a Terp."
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.
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 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. Burden has four children, Zaria, Zamir, Langston and Zohn.
