Notre Dame received their first wide receiver commitment in the 2025 class on Saturday when Wayne (N.J.) DePaul Catholic pass catcher Elijah Burress picked the Fighting Irish. Burress is the son of former Pittsburgh Steeler and New York Giant star Plaxico Burress, who hauled in 553 passes for 8,499 yards and 64 touchdowns during his 11 year NFL career.
Despite having a famous football father, Burress has gone largely under the radar as a recruit. He held just three Power Five offers from Notre Dame, Duke and Cincinnati. Burress was also previously unranked by every major recruiting platform, although that has changed recently.
DePaul Catholic head coach Nick Campanile said an injury setback as a sophomore was a big reason for Burress being overlooked. Most colleges didn’t get a real look at him until this past season.
"(His rise) has been incredible to watch,” Campanile told Irish Breakdown. "Elijah missed almost all of his sophomore season with a groin injury. There were a couple times where he tried to come back and there were a couple setbacks. We thought he was going to be back for the playoffs but then he had another injury. It was a frustrating year for him.”
Burress rebounded by developing into a valuable pass catcher for the team as a junior. He finished that season with 29 receptions for 439 yards and five touchdowns, averaging 15.1 yards per reception. The craziest part, Burress is already a pretty nuanced player, but there is still a much higher level he hasn’t gotten to yet.
"The main thing that stands out about Elijah is his route running ability,” said Campanile. "He is a very quick player, and has attention to detail. He’s also pretty versatile. He can play in the slot or on the outside. I think the outside is where he has the most upside. In terms of speed, Elijah is probably our fastest player and we have a lot of speed on the team.”
DePaul Catholic is expecting a big jump for Burress as a senior, especially now that he has been able to get the commitment out of the way. It’s weird to say but the extra attention may be big for Burress, giving him a glimpse into his overall potential. He’s a player who doesn’t even know yet how good he could potently be.
"He’s handled all the attention really well,” his coach explained. "Elijah stayed humble and grounded throughout the process. If anything, the attention has made him focus even harder. He has big time ability, but I’m not sure that he even believed it until recently. He’s really starting to gain confidence and understand how good he can be.”
Notre Dame has shown a willingness to bet on genes and upside with their recruiting. On top of his father, Burress’s mother was also a sprinter for Penn State as well. Burress is the latest example, possessing the talent and upside that they crave.
More must-reads: