Chicagoland top 135 2025 EDGE, key Notre Dame target Christopher Burgess sets commitment date
One of the top recruits in the 2025 recruiting cycle is set to come off the board in less than two months. On Tuesday, top 135 four-star EDGE Christopher Burgess announced on social media that he would reveal his college commitment on Jan. 6, 2024.
Chicago Simeon Career Academy’s Burgess confirmed to Blue & Gold that he would pick a school that day. The 6-4, 230-pounder plans to pledge to a program during the All-American Bowl game in San Antonio. NBC will televise the game.
The On3 Industry Ranking — a proprietary algorithm that compiles ratings and rankings from all four primary recruiting media services — considers Burgess the No. 126 overall player, No. 11 EDGE and No. 5 prospect in Illinois in the 2025 recruiting cycle. He has a 92.06 rating.
In On3’s own rankings, he’s the No. 131 2025 prospect in the country, No. 9 EDGE and No. 3 Illinois recruit. On3 most recently gave him a 91 rating.
Notre Dame offered Burgess during its St. Patrick’s Day-themed “Pot of Gold Day” recruiting event. Sixty-four other 2025 class recruits also reported new Fighting Irish offers on March 17. Few recruits have visited Notre Dame as much as Burgess.
Eight days later, Burgess made the trip to South Bend for the second time. He first visited as an under-the-radar prospect on Oct. 15 when the Irish faced Stanford. He is now up to 32 Power Five offers, including ones from Alabama, Georgia, Michigan and Ohio State.
Burgess has been back to Notre Dame for all its major recruiting events. He attended the Blue-Gold Game on April 22, the Irish Invasion camp on June 4 and the “grill & chill” recruiting cookout on July 30. Burgess last visited for the Ohio State game on Sept. 23.
No school has hosted Burgess on more unofficial college recruiting visits than Notre Dame.
So far this football season, Burgess’ only reported game-day visit was to Colorado on Sept. 30. He is also scheduled to visit Michigan when it hosts Ohio State on Nov. 25. Burgess has previously visited Illinois (4), Michigan (4), Ohio State (3), Wisconsin (2), Purdue, Michigan State, Iowa and Tennessee.
The Irish already have three defensive line commitments in the 2025 cycle in four-star EDGE C.J. May and three-star D-linemen Davion Dixon and Joseph Reiff. Still, they have shown Burgess he is a priority. Last month, head coach Marcus Freeman and defensive line coach Al Washington visited his school during the NCAA recruiting evaluation period.
Notre Dame has already landed two recruits from the Chicago area in 2025. Reiff attends Elmhurst (Ill.) York Community School. Linebacker Dominik Hulak attends Elmhurst (Ill.) Immaculate Conception Catholic Prep, which is located one mile from Reiff’s school. In 2024, the Irish are set to sign Glen Ellyn (Ill.) Glenbard South five-star wide receiver Cam Williams in December.
