NC State strength and conditioning coordinator Dantonio "Thunder" Burnette has become a not-so-secret weapon for the program.
Burnette, a former Wolfpack linebacker and an alumnus of the university, has a proven track record of helping develop incoming freshmen from the high school football ranks and turning them into grown men capable of competing at the NFL level.
He earned his masters degree in Higher Education and Sports Management while serving as a graduate strength and conditioning assistant from 2004-2007. He was the Pack's assistant strength and conditioning coach for an additional five seasons before stepping into his current role. In 2018, he also earned the title of assistant athletic director for strength and conditioning at NC State.
Here's a look at some of Burnette's latest body transformations among current Wolfpack players:
The results are quite astounding when comparing photos from 2017 to this summer.
And the strength and conditioning needs are different for every player. But one thing remains consistent among all of the players Burnette trains, all of their bodies are much more prepared for success on the field than they were four years ago.
For instance, redshirt junior receiver Thayer Thomas arrived at NC State as a 175-pound walk-on in 2017. Four years later, he's a lean 197 pounds and was among the ACC's best slot receivers and punt returners last season.
His brother, sophomore linebacker Drake Thomas, arrived at NC State in January 2019 weighing 236 pounds. Now Thomas is a lean 228 pounds, and likely much stronger than he was two summers ago.
There's no question Burnette has been extremely valuable to the Wolfpack football program as both a coach and a player. But there's no secret anymore. It's now the expectation that players within the Wolfpack program will leave significantly leaner, stronger and in better shape than they were before due to Burnette's strength and conditioning program.
——
• Talk about it inside The Wolves' Den
• Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes
• Learn more about our print and digital publication, The Wolfpacker
• Follow us on Twitter: @TheWolfpacker
• Like us on Facebook
