Utah State University Athletics

Richard Burney Jr. is in his second season as an assistant strength and conditioning coach for Utah State football and has five years of coaching experience. Burney is also the strength and conditioning coach for the USU gymnastics program
 
The 2026 campaign will be Burney’s third year working with USU head football coach Bronco Mendenhall as he spent the 2024 season on staff at New Mexico as the associate director of athletic performance. Burney also played under Mendenhall at Virginia for five seasons.

In his first year at Utah State in 2025, Burney helped Utah State to a 6-7 record (4-4 Mountain West) and its 12th bowl game in the last 15 years. With Burney on staff, USU had 10 players earn All-MW honors, the most since 2019. Three players garnered first-team All-MW accolades, and two others were named to the second team, along with five honorable mention selections. Senior cornerback Noah Avinger highlighted these honorees as he was named a HERO Sports Group of Five Second Team All-American.
 
Before New Mexico, Burney spent two and a half years as an assistant strength and conditioning coach at SMU, helping the Mustangs to the 2022 New Mexico Bowl and the 2023 Wasabi Fenway Bowl.
 
Burney played collegiately for six years as a defensive end at Virginia (2015-2021). He appeared in 46 games and made 47 career tackles, 9.0 tackles for loss and a forced fumble.
 
After graduation, he served a one-year internship at Virginia in the strength and conditioning area.
 
The native of Chesapeake, Virginia, earned his bachelor’s degree in American studies and civilization from Virginia in 2019 and a master’s in higher education administration in 2020.