'Incredibly frustrating' Notre Dame freshman still pushing to get on the field early

When the Notre Dame football team's offensive coordinator, Mike Denbrock, took to the podium on Sunday to brief the media on the status of his unit, there were a couple of players he specifically called out. Among those was Elijah Burress, though the freshman wide receiver might have preferred to be overlooked entirely.

There's no doubt Burress has plenty of talent. He's been someone that analysts have named as "one to watch" since spring practice. However, he might be trying to get by on talent alone a little too much. His elite abilities, but struggles mentally in practice, have Denbrock pulling out what hair he has left on his head.

Elijah Burress frustrating Notre Dame football coaches with playbook struggles

"Elijah is a freshman who is incredibly frustrating because, from a skill level standpoint, he's elite," the Notre Dame coach said. "He understands football. He understands how to break people down in space. But I can't quite get him to learn and master the playbook quite yet, so I can't get him lined up enough as consistently as I need to, to actually show the talent that he's got. So there's a lot of good there, a lot of good things, and he's going to be a really good football player for us."

It was a surprising bit of tough love from Denbrock that underlines just how frustrating the player has become in fall camp. Burress, the son of former NFL wide receiver Plaxico Burress, has all the talent in the world.

Denbrock and the coaches would clearly love to see him compete for playing time. However, he's also among a unit that is loaded with Malachi Fields, Will Pauling, Jordan Faison, Micah Gilbert, Logan Saldate, and Jaden Greathouse.

Until and unless Elijah Burress can spend a bit more time studying the playbook, he won't see the field for the Notre Dame football team. If that sinks in and he does start learning the playbook better, he could be a surprise weapon for the Fighting Irish in 2025.