Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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56 MARCH 2025 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2025 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE BY MIKE SINGER E lijah Burress had a nice junior sea- son in 2023, recording 439 receiv- ing yards and 5 touchdowns for Wayne (N.J.) DePaul Catholic. He picked up a handful of scholarship offers — includ- ing one from Notre Dame — in large part due to his tape from that year. He committed to the Fighting Irish sev- eral months before the start of his senior season, which was electric. In helping lead his squad to a New Jersey Non-Pub- lic B Group state championship, Burress more than doubled his receiving yardage and tripled his touchdown count from his junior campaign. He finished the season with 960 yards and a whopping 15 scores. He caught touchdowns on an amazing 40.5 percent of his receptions. Burress attributes part of his improve- ment to a specific day last summer. He didn't need to participate in Notre Dame's Irish Invasion camp on June 2, 2024. since he was already committed to the Fighting Irish. But he did so to get some work in with quarterback recruit Deuce Knight, who was committed to the Irish at the time, and wide receivers coach Mike Brown. Burress' work with Brown that day was pivotal. "Every time my family and I go to Notre Dame, the first thing we talk about is football and what I can do better," Burress told Blue & Gold Illus- trated. "The camp was a perfect oppor- tunity for us to do that. Coach Brown corrected a lot of my footwork — things that I was doing wrong." Aside from Jaden Greathouse's break- out performances in the final two games of the College Football Playoff, the Irish receivers were largely unproductive dur- ing the 2024 football season. Burress, though, is fully confident in Brown. "I trust Mike Brown to develop re- ceivers," Burress said. "He does a great job with that." Burress knows the Irish offense under first-year offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock will continue to evolve, too. "He's a great OC and a great coach," Burress said. "I can trust the coaching staff no matter what. I know it will be different when I get up there and that I'll be fine." ✦ Irish Have Already Played A Part In Elijah Burress' Development ELIJAH BURRESS WIDE RECEIVER 6-0 ∙ 173 DEPAUL CATHOLIC H.S. TOTOWA, N.J. RANKINGS STARS NAT. POS. STATE Industry ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 341 51 8 ✪ ✪ ✪ — 57 9 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 240 28 5 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ — 47 11 ✪ ✪ ✪ — 94 16 STATISTICS • Was a big-play machine during his 12-game senior campaign, catching 37 passes for 960 yards with 15 touchdowns. • Hauled in 29 passes for 439 yards with 5 touch- downs as a junior in 2023. • Helped Wayne (N.J.) DePaul Catholic capture the New Jersey Non-Public B Group state champi- onship as a senior. NOTABLE • Named NJ.com second-team Non-Public Schools all-state and USA Today All-New Jersey second team as a senior. • 2024 NJAthletics.net all-state second team. • Was invited to the 2025 Polynesian Bowl and 2024 U.S. Army Bowl. • Is the son of Super Bowl XLII champion and former Giants and Steelers wide receiver Plaxico Burress. RECRUITMENT • Committed to the Fighting Irish on March 3, 2024. • Recruited by wide receivers coach Mike Brown. • Held scholarship offers from Cincinnati, Duke, East Carolina, Liberty, Temple and others. • Visited Notre Dame twice, including his official visit on Nov. 17, 2024. • Enrolled at Notre Dame in January. 2025 PROJECTION • Has the chance to be a sneaky contributor for the Irish this fall, but the odds are he will redshirt. THEY SAID IT BlueandGold.com football analyst Tim Hyde: "He's one heck of a football player. He's really good. The league Burress plays in is very good. I like him as a prospect. Is there something others don't see in him? Sometimes guys fall through the cracks, but I really like him. He's faster than I thought and is a smooth, natural wide receiver who can catch and run. I don't see anything wrong with taking him. He can play at Notre Dame — there's no doubt about that. "He plays with confidence and has the traits. He's very well coached and will come to Notre Dame knowing how to work with good practice habits." Prep Football Report recruiting analyst Tom Lemming: "The son of All-Pro Plaxico Burress does not have his father's height, but he does have his confidence and hands. Elijah shows very good speed, moves and smarts. He always seems to know how to get open, does a good job of finding the open seam and can create after the catch. One of the more reliable players in the New Jersey Catholic league, he's not afraid to make catches in traffic." As a senior, Burress caught 37 passes for 960 yards (25.9 yards per grab) and 15 touchdowns. PHOTO COURTESY ON3