BREAKING | 2025 WR Elijah Burress Commits to Notre Dame

Notre Dame quickly made 2025 DePaul Catholic (N.J.) receiver Elijah Burress‍ a priority and it paid off as the 6-foot-1, 170-pounder has given his commitment to the Fighting Irish. 

New Irish receivers coach Mike Brown offered the ISD four-star prospect 29 days ago and Burress was on campus nine days later for Junior Day. 

The two connected immediately and the time spent with Brown pushed the Irish into pole position. 

“The meeting was just about how he goes about his job and how he is as a coach,” Burress said following Junior Day. “I'm definitely very interested in his coaching style and how he is very good with developing players. I could definitely see myself under his wing getting better and developing.”

Burress also enjoyed his time with Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman, which was a significant piece to the puzzle for the Irish land a quick commitment. 

“We were just talking about life and football,” he said. “I'm definitely way more comfortable with him and built a good relationship with him. We have a good relationship. He's a cool coach and I really respect him and I like him.”

The New Jersey native, like most recruits, felt comfortable at Notre Dame during his visit and comfort is often times the deciding factor. Why did he feel comfortable? Burress simply enjoyed his time with his peers, who were also on campus for a visit. 

“I spent time with my guy Jerome Bettis Jr.,” stated Burress as their fathers played together for the Pittsburgh Steelers. “I met him and we just instantly clicked.

“I also spent time with Deuce Knight. Deuce is a cool guy. I like him, he's cool.”

Burress is also just scratching the surface of the player he will become and DePaul Catholic head coach Nicky Campanile plans to showcase his talents this fall. 

“I just continue to see him getting better and better,” Campanile explained. “This year, I think he'll be great with the contested balls. The 50/50 balls, he's going to own those. We're going to use him down the field a lot more than we have. He's a great deep ball receiver and for whatever reason we didn't do enough of that last year. 

“We're going to change some things in the offense to make sure he's more involved. He had a great junior year, but I'd like to see him be even more involved week to week in the game plan. We've talked about that. That's a plan for us going forward. This year, he's going to be lights out.” 

What separates Burress from his peers and had several coaches checking on him in January? It’s his route-running and ability to separate from defenders. 

“I think the thing he does better than almost anybody in high school football right now is his route-running ability, his change of direction,” said Campanile. “He can pressure step and separate as good as anybody. That's something that you usually see the slots are usually better at than the outside receivers, but he can do both. So again, the versatility is just an awesome thing.”

Film Don’t Lie | WR Elijah Burress

Junior Highlights

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