Notre Dame men’s lacrosse defenseman BJ Burlace had quite the run of success during his five years as a collegiate athlete.
The 2019 St. Mary’s School graduate began his career at Yale. The Bulldogs were the No. 5-ranked team in the nation before the 2020 season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Burlace then transferred to Maryland for three seasons, winning the national championship with the Terps in 2022.
For his final year of eligibility, Burlace then decided to head to another national powerhouse in Notre Dame, which defeated Maryland in the national championship game on May 27. Burlace recognizes he played for two of the most historic lacrosse programs in the country, and he doesn’t take that for granted.
“I’m definitely lucky. It’s a really cool feeling,” Burlace said on Glenn Clark Radio May 31. “I’m blessed to have been able to play with so many great players and great teams that have really helped me along the way. … It’s been a great ride.”
Along with playing on great teams, Burlace also relished the opportunity to play with family. The defender was able to play with both his brothers at various points throughout his career. He played with defenseman Colin Burlace at Maryland in ’22 and ’23. He then shared the field with midfielder Gavin Burlace this past season at Notre Dame.
BJ admitted his decision to transfer to Notre Dame was due in large part to the opportunity to play with Gavin, a four-star midfielder in the 2023 class.
“Me and Gav have always been five years off, so we never played together growing up, throughout middle school, high school, anything,” Burlace said. “And then when I got the COVID year, I was like, ‘This kind of lines up perfectly. I’ll get a year with him — my last year, his first year — I’ll be able to help him out, get him used to the college life.’ I would say he was the biggest factor in me going there.”
With the three brothers playing in the national championship this season — BJ and Gavin for Notre Dame and Colin for Maryland — it was tough for the Burlace family to pick a side. So instead, many of them wore St. Mary’s gear to remain neutral, as all three brothers attended the Annapolis school.
After the Irish defeated the Terps, 15-5, Gavin joined his brothers as the last of the trio to earn a national championship. But BJ still has the edge in his eyes — at least for now.
“I’ve got the bragging rights because I have two now,” he said.
While he hasn’t starred on any team, Burlace never cared about playing time or production. All the 6-foot-1, 207-pound, former five-star recruit wanted to do was play at the highest level and compete for championships.
“I’ve never been really affected by how much I play or anything like that. I think it’s just [that] being with a great group of guys is something special,” he said. “And obviously the opportunity to compete for championships, why wouldn’t you want to be the best?”
Burlace enjoyed being a part of those stacked teams, often just taking in the level of talent around him.
“Going around practice, you’re just mind-blown by what a lot of these guys can do,” Burlace said, “even the guys that you guys would have no idea who they are.”
Having played on two of the most dominant men’s lacrosse teams in recent memory in the 2022 Terps and the 2024 Irish, Burlace has a unique perspective on both squads — and which one might be better.
“That Maryland team was special. I think they would probably be the favorites going into it,” he said. “But I don’t think Notre Dame would be far behind. If you played 10 times, it’s probably 5-5.”
For more from Burlace, listen to the full interview here:
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Notre Dame Athletics