Wide Receiver Elijah Burress Commits To Notre Dame

Notre Dame remains hot on the recruiting trail for the 2025 class with Wayne (N.J.) DePaul Catholic wide receiver Elijah Burress committing to the Fighting Irish. Burress is Notre Dame's first commitment at wide receiver for the 2025 class.

The 6-1, 170-pound wide receiver is an intriguing pickup for Notre Dame. Those focused on recruiting rankings are going to be puzzled by this take, as Burress has yet to be ranked by Rivals, 247Sports or ESPN. His offer list only has Power 4 offers from Notre Dame, Duke and Cincinnati. None of this will excite fans, but make no mistake, Notre Dame landed a player with a lot of talent. In many ways his recruitment reminds me quite a bit of former Notre Dame commit and current Michigan defender Brandyn Hillman, who didn't have any Power 4/5 offers until the fall of his senior season.

Hillman eventually became a Top 150 prospect, and Burress has film that is every bit as impressive at the wide receiver position.

Burress hauled in 29 passes for 439 yards and five touchdowns as a junior, and his best performances came in some of the biggest moments. Burress caught 7 passes for 115 yards and a score against Jersey powerhouse Bergen Catholic, and he caught 4 passes for 113 yards and two touchdowns in a playoff win over St. Mary.

The first thing that jumped out at me was how quick and explosive Burress is as a player. He flies off the ball, gets on defensive backs in a hurry and shows excellent suddenness as a route runner. Burress will need to fill out and get a lot stronger, but he shows elite route running skills and the speed to stretch the field. His feel for the game is already top notch, and his ball skills stand out as well.

Burress is the son of former NFL wide receiver Plaxico Burress, who played for the Pittsburgh Steelers, New York Giants and New York Jets. Burress played his college football at Michigan State and was the No. 8 overall draft pick of the 2000 NFL Draft. His mother, Tiffany, ran track at Penn State.

Burress joins a 2025 recruiting class that also includes elite quarterback Deuce Knight, running backs Daniel Anderson and Justin Thurman, tight end James Flanigan, offensive lineman Owen Strebig, offensive lineman Will Black, defensive tackle Davion Dixon, defensive end Christopher Burgess Jr., defensive end Joseph Reiff, hybrid defender Dominik Hulak, linebacker Josiah Kia, cornerback Cree Thomas, and safeties Ivan Taylor and Ethan Long.