Hokies WR Coach Zohn Burden Talks Recruiting, Position Depth and Summer Plans

New Virginia Tech wide receivers coach Zohn Burden has been on the job for roughly five months now, and he's been plenty busy ever since.

Since taking over for Aaron Moorehead this February, the Hokies have called on Burden to use his estimable recruiting talents up and down the East Coast and help mold the team's talented receiving group, all as he grows accustomed to his new home in Blacksburg.

Despite all these pressures, Burden still found a few minutes to speak with The Key Play about his experience learning to fit in with Tech's staff and preparing for the new season as it rapidly approaches.

AK: When you got started with the Hokies, it was certainly a busy time of year, particularly on the recruiting front. What was it like those first weeks when you started back in February?

ZB: It was kind of just as soon as I got there and got my feet on the ground, I was running. I had to come in and learn the offense right away, I had to get to know some recruits in certain areas, maintaining relationships with the high school coaches. Just letting everybody know where I was and the goals of the program I'm at now, but that I'm still the same person and I still want to be a good coach and be a great recruiter, and do the same things no matter what the logo is on my shirt.

AK: Once you started to hit the recruiting trail as a Hokie, I'd imagine it was a little different seeing kids you recruited back when you were still with ODU. What's that transition been like for you as you've spent time in Virginia Beach?

ZB: I think the guys have big eyeballs when they see me in different colors than my ODU colors, but I think they all know that I'm a genuine guy, our relationships remain the same. I'm recruiting a different kind of kid now, a 4-star, 5-star kid that we're trying to get. Not that I wasn't trying to get them previously, but now you actually have a legitimate chance of getting them. But for the most part, it's just maintaining relationships and trying to get in touch with as many people as you can, being genuine, being yourself, being honest.

AK: Your predecessor spent a lot of time recruiting in the Washington, D.C. and Maryland areas. Is that something you've been asked to do as well? If so, what's that been like so far?

ZB: This spring I was in DC and Maryland quite a bit, pretty much half the recruiting stops I made were out there. I think Coach Moorehead did a great job out there, a lot of coaches knew who he was and knew about Virginia Tech, so I just kind of said, 'hey look, I'm the new receivers coach,' and just started to build some relationships there where guys get to know me, I get to know them and hopefully some players will say 'yes' to Virginia Tech. That's kind of what it's been this spring so far.

AK: As for players that are already on the team, what's the process been like of getting to know them all? How comfortable do you feel with them at this point?

ZB: My biggest thing was to get in there and form a relationship with those guys, for them to understand that I care just as much about off the field as I do on the field. Just create a trust factor with me and those guys. We did some things off the field, like we had a dinner and just talked about everything besides football. And I think everything on the field will take care of itself. As spring practice went along and some of the things that I teach, those guys saw some success in doing those things, so I think it's a combination of things. Building relationships off the field and on the field kind of went hand in hand.

AK: Speaking of spring practice, how do you feel your first spring session with the team went?

ZB: It was great. More than I ever imagined with the amount of energy and effort by the guys, the intensity of the coaches, it was everything I ever thought it would be. A very good experience overall.

AK: At one point this spring, you said you could envision a lot of players getting into the WR rotation this fall, with as many as nine or 10 even getting involved. Now that spring's wrapped up, do you think that's still feasible?

ZB: I think I was on the high end when I said nine or 10, but I feel like we'll have seven guys in a good rotation, that's my expectation. Because I think everybody has a certain role, a certain thing I think they do better than others, they can help us become an overall better offense. So I can see six, seven guys being in a rotation.

AK: When it comes to that rotation, Isaiah Ford and Cam Phillips seem like excellent bets to start, but things are a little murkier after that. Do you see Demitri Knowles as a guy that could step up as a third option for the team now that he's a senior?

ZB: He became more reliable in my mind as time went along. I think he probably worked as hard this spring as he's ever worked. We're trying to get some things out of him that I don't think he knows he has in him. That's kind of been my goal with Demitri, is to try to push him beyond the limit of what he thinks he can be. He has a lot of potential to be a great, great receiver, we've just got to get it out of him. And now he's a senior, so it's now or never, so his role should be elevated from what he did last year.

AK: Now that he's spent a year redshirting, what are your impressions of Jaylen Bradshaw? Could he vie for that third spot as well?

ZB: He's a young kid, but he has a lot of potential. He's been working his butt off this summer, so he's in better shape and with him being bigger, stronger, faster, there's gonna come a lot more confidence. So I think he gained some confidence this spring just playing football and learning the offense and things of that nature. But I also think that getting bigger, faster and strong this summer is going to boost his confidence, so he's got a bright future.

AK: Deon Newsome seemed like he was finding a role in the offense on jet sweeps and other specialized plays in his redshirt freshman year last season. Do you foresee his role expanding this year?

ZB: He's still doing the jet sweep stuff, because he's a very dynamic athlete. But in the spring game he had two or three catches, and I believe one of them was long, 40 or 50 yards (Ed. note: Newsome had a 36-yard catch in the spring game). He's a dynamic athlete, so we're going to use him as much as we can and create mismatches. If we get him matched up on a linebacker or a safety in the slot, that's a good matchup for us. That's kind of where he is right now, creating a mismatch.

AK: Something we saw a lot this spring was Bucky Hodges working as a receiver in a variety of sets. I'm sure Bryan Stinespring does plenty working with him as his position coach, but how do you guys work together to get Bucky ready for that kind of role?

ZB: I feed off what Coach Stinespring does in the run game and try to add some things to Bucky's versatility in the passing game, just route running and wide receiver techniques that he might not work on every single day as if he was just a wide receiver only. He has a lot on his plate as far as run game responsibilities, so for his pass game responsibilities, I try to work with him, stay back after and put in extra work, so when we do want to throw the ball he's successful in those sets as well. Coach Stinespring and I just work hand-in-hand with him, and whatever we think is best on that particular day or that particular week, we work it out so that Bucky can be the best he can be.

AK: With spring practice wrapped up for a while now and training camp still about a month away, I don't doubt the guys are getting some work in these days. How is your group working to stay sharp?

ZB: The guys are out there, at least five, six days out of the week. I try to tell those guys not to kill themselves because we do have a long season coming up here, with an early game in September and a game the next Saturday the same week. So I'm trying not to get them to kill themselves, but they've been working hard, doing seven-on-seven, one-on-ones, individual drills. It's all about individually taking weaknesses and turning them into strengths and strengthening their strengths even more.

AK: Now that the new indoor practice facility is open for business, how has that helped the logistics of those workouts this summer?

ZB: I think it's a great asset and we're lucky to have it. Those kids, when it's 90 degrees outside, it's nice where they can go inside and get the same kind of work done where it's not as hot. It's a great benefit and we're blessed to have it. Not only with football, but with recruiting, it's been a great overall benefit to the players as well as the coaches.

AK: I know it must be hard to think about in just July, but now that you've gotten a chance to spend time with this group, how good do you think they can be this season?

ZB: I think it's going to be an interesting year. I think it's going to be a good year, special. I think it's going to be some unexpected things that come up. But we're a special group, we're close knit, and I think the work ethic of these guys is going to pay off in a huge way.