Utah State University Athletics

Richard Burney Jr. is in his first season as an assistant strength and conditioning coach for Utah State football and brings four years of coaching experience to Utah State. Burney is also the strength and conditioning coach for the USU gymnastics program
 
The 2025 campaign will be Burney’s second 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.
 
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.