Change of Heart: Parkway’s Gary Burney chooses LSU
by William Weathers // GeauxPreps.com Contributor
Parkway High football coach Coy Brotherton commended the coaching staff at the University of Houston for their recruitment of his standout wide receiver, Gary Burney, Jr.
Burney felt so good about his future with the Cougars that he committed there on March 30.
“Those guys did a great job,” Brotherton said. “They were so nice and great to our staff and Gary along the way.”
Brotherton also understands the magnitude of what LSU means to in-state players who grew up idolizing the home state school and the value on their lives after playing there.
The 6-foot-4, 192-pound Burney is one such player influenced enough by LSU’s recruiting interest, which included an official visit last weekend, that the three-star prospect had a change of heart and offered his commitment to first-year head coach Lane Kiffin and wide receiver coach George McDonald.
“LSU was one of my dream schools,” said Burney, who is expected to play this season at 200 pounds. “They showed me how I could be developed and fit into the offense. It was way different than Houston.”
Burney’s the latest member of LSU’s surging Class of 2027. He’s the 14th member of the group, which has gained 10 pledges in the last three weeks.
Burney’s the nation’s No. 124 wide receiver and the state’s No. 23 player per On3. He’s the fourth wide receiver in the class to choose LSU, along with Cecilia’s Braylon Calais, Cade Cooper of Garnet Valley, PA., and Ahmari Stevens of Ft Lauderdale, Fla.
“Over the last three weeks, LSU’s come in and showed him the Louisiana way, and what being a Tiger means and playing in Death Valley,” Brotherton said. “For a Louisiana kid to have the opportunity to play at LSU in that environment, it’s probably everybody’s dream. If you have that opportunity, a lot of kids are going to take that.”
LSU’s team rankings reached No. 11 per On3 and No. 17 per 247Sports.
“I’ve been talking with coach McDonald the past couple of weeks,” said Burney, who will enroll at LSU in January. “They were recruiting me, and when I went down there, he showed me how they run things, and I could just see myself fitting in. I saw myself being better developed there.”
Burney had a slow start to his career, suffering a broken ankle in the first week of his freshman season, which ended his first season.
He was part of Parkway’s freshman basketball team and returned for his first spring season, where he was still trying to gain his footing.
“He had a decent spring,” Brotherton said. “He was still so raw from missing so much football.”
Burney wasn’t a full-time starter until the fourth week of the 2024 season, and with Parkway relying on a reserve quarterback because of injuries, he caught 21 passes for 366 yards and four touchdowns – including one in the team’s Division I non-select first-round playoff loss to West Monroe.
“We weren’t relying much on the pass,” Brotherton said. “That’s the reason his numbers where what they were. He needed more game reps, and that wasn’t the style we were playing with a backup quarterback. We knew as a sophomore, he was going to be special. He had caught a Hail Mary in the playoff game against West Monroe. He showed it then. He had big catches against (Captain) Shreve and Byrd.”
Burney didn’t allow his initial setback to deter his work ethic.
“When I broke my ankle, it kind of set me back,” he said. “When I got cleared, I started putting in a lot of work. I did decent my sophomore year, and then when I was a junior, it was a breakout season which helped me a lot.”
Parkway’s coaching staff thought so much of Burney that they reached out to one of the program’s brightest stars for his support on Burney changing jersey numbers.
Terrace Marshall, a 2018 graduate of Parkway, was a five-star receiver who starred on LSU’s national championship team in ’19. He wound up with 106 catches, 1,594 yards, and 23 touchdowns – opting out after the seventh week of the 2000 season – and became a second-round selection of the Carolina Panthers.
The 6-2, 200-pound Marshall is scheduled to play in his fifth professional team with the Miami Dolphins this season.
Marshall’s No. 88 jersey hadn’t been worn for several seasons, Brotherton said.
“Coach Rayner graduated from Parkway and coached Terrace,” Brotherton said. “Going into Gary’s sophomore year, coach Rayner FaceTimed with Terrace and told him we had this receiver that reminded us a lot of him. He asked him with his blessing whether we could give him (Burney) No. 88, and he’s worn it for the last two years. You can see the comparisons.”
Burney picked up a scholarship offer from Arkansas State following a summer camp, but his trajectory was about to take off during the ’25 season.
With a healthy KB Williams throwing for 2,931 yards and 39 touchdowns, the Panthers’ offense operated at full throttle again.
During a 69-40 District 1-5A win over Natchitoches Central on Sept. 26, Burney had 185 receiving yards and four touchdowns.
He was Parkway’s top receiver with 76 receptions for 1,267 yards – 16.7 yards per catch – and 15 touchdowns.
Burney was named to the all-district first team and Class 5A All-State honorable mention for the Panthers (11-2) that reached the Division I non-select state quarterfinals against Ouachita, the eventual state champion.
“We knew he would be a Division I guy,” Brotherton said. “Just the numbers he put up as a junior, and then the track speed and showing people with the 6-4 frame what he could do. It blew up after that.”
Parkway’s basketball team (15-16) also reached the state quarterfinals after consecutive overtime playoff wins over Slidell and Sulphur. They were eliminated by Ruston, the eventual state runner-up.
Spring recruiting had plenty of traffic on Parkway’s campus, and coaches took time to spend with Burney.
Burney also competed for the school’s track team, taking part in several relays with Parkway qualifying for regionals in the 4×100 relay. He also experienced success in the 200 and 400.
Patience was important for Burney, who was the subject of college coaches videoing his footwork, route running, and pass-catching ability during the spring. He showed the ability to play both the inside and outside receiver positions in high school, while some colleges envision him exclusively on the outside.
Houston was the first place Burney called home after an official visit, the result of a relationship the Cougars’ staff built early in the recruiting process.
“The guys at Houston did a great job of making Gary feel welcomed and wanted,” Brotherton said. “They recruited him from Day 1. Gary was their No. 1 guy, and they treated him like that. He felt like he was at home, and that would be a great spot. That’s where he thought he wanted to go and where he would be.”
LSU was persistent, though, with McDonald leading the charge.
That led to an official visit that brought about change for Burney, who delivered his commitment in person to Kiffin and McDonald.
“I watched film with the coaches,” he said. “They showed how they did things over the last couple of years (at Ole Miss). I kind of imagined myself in their offense.”
Said Brotherton: “It’s hard for Louisiana kids. If LSU wants you, it’s hard to tell them no.”