Another Notre Dame football recruiting commit added to the U.S. Army Bowl roster
Yet another future Notre Dame football player will be representing the Fighting Irish in Frisco, Texas, come December. On Saturday, the U.S. Army Bowl announced that Wayne (N.J.) DePaul Catholic three-star wide receiver Elijah Burress has accepted his invitation to participate in this year’s high school all-star game.
The 6-foot, 170-pound Burress joins EDGE Dominik Hulak, linebacker Ko’o Kia, defensive lineman Joseph Reiff and running back Justin Thurman as the Irish pledges who will play in this year’s showcase at The Ford Center at The Star in Frisco on Dec. 21.
The game’s committee also invited Notre Dame commits defensive lineman Davion Dixon, safety Ethan Long and cornerback Cree Thomas. However, they have not publicly accepted their invitations.
The U.S. Army Bowl differs from the All-American Bowl. That game is on Jan. 11, 2025, at the Alamodome in San Antonio and on NBC. The U.S. Army was the title sponsor of the All-American Bowl from 2001-17. This year is the third edition of the U.S. Army Bowl game, which began in 2021.
Irish quarterback commit Deuce Knight and EDGE pledge Christopher Burgess, both top 150 prospects, have accepted their invitations to play in the All-American Bowl. Notre Dame has no recruits slated to participate in the Under Armour All-America Game in Orlando, Fla.
Last year, current Irish wide receiver Micah Gilbert and linebacker Bodie Kahoun participated in the U.S. Army Bowl.
According to the On3 Industry Ranking, Burress is the No. 553 overall player, No. 87 wide receiver nationally and No. 16 prospect in New Jersey. He committed to the Irish on Feb. 10.
In his 10-game junior season, Burress recorded 25 catches for 434 yards and 5 touchdowns.
What Notre Dame recruits are playing in the U.S. Army Bowl
In addition to Burress, four other Irish commits have said they’ll play in the game.
Elmhurst (Ill.) York Community’s Reiff, a four-star, is the highest-ranked participating commit. According to the On3 Industry Ranking, he is the No. 333 overall player, No. 28 defensive lineman nationally and No. 8 prospect in Illinois in 2025.
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The 6-5, 250-pound Reiff committed to Notre Dame over Iowa, Northwestern and Purdue on Sept. 23. As a junior, he registered 76 tackles (50 solo), 20 for loss, 12 sacks, 17 quarterback hurries, 1 pass breakup, 3 forced fumbles and 1 fumble recovery.
Tampa (Fla.) Jesuit’s Thurman is also a four-star. The On3 Industry Ranking considers him the No. 383 overall player, No. 31 running back in the nation and No. 52 prospect in Florida.
After pledging to the Irish on Aug. 1, Thurman had 169 carries for 812 yards and 14 touchdowns as a junior. He also added 22 catches for 198 yards and 3 touchdowns.
Elmhurst (Ill.) IC Catholic Prep’s Hulak and Honolulu Punahou’s Kia are three-star prospects.
In the On3 Industry Ranking, Hulak is the No. 430 overall player, No. 36 EDGE in the country and No. 11 recruit in Illinois. Kia is the No. 505 overall player, No. 53 linebacker in America and No. 2 prospect in Hawai’i.
Hulak and Kia committed to the Irish on Nov. 10 and Jan. 15, respectively. The 6-4, 240-pound Hulak had 36 tackles, 6 TFLs and 3 sacks as a junior. Kia collected 83 tackles, 16 TFLs and 8 sacks in 2023.
