Notre Dame Promise Elijah Burress Is Currently Discovering His Potential
Elijah Burress, the wide receiver from Wayne (N.J.) DePaul Catholic, committed to Notre Dame on Saturday, making him the first wide receiver commit in the 2025 class. Burress is the son of Plaxico Burress, a former star wide receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Giants who completed an 11-year NFL career with 553 receptions for 8,499 yards and 64 touchdowns. In spite of having a well-known football father, Burress has not received much attention as a recruit. Only three Power Five offers—from Cincinnati, Duke, and Notre Dame—were in his possession. Additionally, until recently, Burress was not ranked on any of the main recruiting platforms; however, this has changed.
Burress was largely disregarded, according to DePaul Catholic head coach Nick Campanile, because of an injury setback in his sophomore year. He wasn’t really evaluated by most colleges until this past season.
It’s been amazing to watch (his rise),” Campanile said to Irish Breakdown. “Elijah’s groin injury kept him out of the game for nearly the whole second season. He made a few unsuccessful attempts to return and experienced some setbacks. We had anticipated that he would return for the postseason, but he sustained yet another injury. For him, it was a frustrating year.
As a junior, Burress recovered and became an important pass catcher for the group. At the end of the season, he averaged 15.1 yards per reception on 29 receptions for 439 yards and five touchdowns. The most absurd thing is that, despite his current level of skill, Burress is still far from being a sophisticated player. “Elijah’s ability to run routes is what really sticks out about him,” Campanile stated. “He pays close attention to detail and is a very quick player. He is also fairly adaptable. He has the option to play outside or in the slot. He has the most potential outside, in my opinion. Elijah is arguably our fastest player in terms of speed, and we have a lot of speed on
Burress is anticipated to make a significant leap as a senior by DePaul Catholic, particularly now that he has been able to fulfill the commitment. Strange as it may seem, Burress might benefit greatly from the additional attention, which could provide an indication of his full potential. He is a player who is still unaware of his full potential. His coach said, “He’s handled all the attention really well.” “Elijah maintained his composure and sense of reality the entire time. To the contrary, the attention has sharpened his focus. I don’t think he ever really believed that he had big time ability until recently. He’s beginning to realize how good he can be and is truly beginning to gain confidence.
By hiring people, Notre Dame has demonstrated a willingness to place a wager on genetics and potential. Burress’s mother was a Penn State sprinter in addition to his father. The most recent example is Burress, who has the potential and skill that they want.
