Ken Ruinard / USA TODAY NETWORK
Bresee Feels Great
DANIA BEACH, Fla. — Seventh-ranked Clemson got some good news Wednesday in advance of its Orange Bowl date with No. 6 Tennessee on Friday night.
Defensive tackle Bryan Bresee says he feels the best he has felt all season.
“It is awesome, just feeling good again,” he said from the Le Meridien Conference Center. “Just knowing I am able to go out there and play to my full capability, it feels good to be out here with these guys again and have fun doing it and not having to worry about anything else.”
The 2022 calendar year has been a tough one for the Tigers’ defensive lineman. In September, he lost his younger sister Ella to brain cancer. She was just 15 years old.
A few weeks later, he suffered through a severe kidney infection that required hospitalization and then recently fought off a second bout of strep throat.
“There has definitely been a lot of adversity through the season. I am just blessed to be out here and playing in the Orange Bowl with my team and feeling good,” Bresee said. “It was definitely tough not being able to play and everything that went on with my sister. It was just a kinda trust the process kinda thing. I knew there was better days to come. I just kept grinding and staying after it and it is all working out now.”
Bresee missed four games this season and started in just six. The preseason All-American could not get over the hump from a health standpoint and consistently get back on the field. However, when he was on the field, he was very productive.
Though he tallied just 301 snaps, he still had 14 tackles, including 4.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks. He also knocked down two passes and pressured the quarterback seven times.
“I am so proud of Bryan and the way that he has handled everything,” linebacker Barrett Carter said. “I could not even imagine. That is just so tough to go through, but he never complained or anything. He just showed up every day and just fought and fought for his little sister.
“He pays his tributes for her in just how he plays and how he carries himself. I love Bryan and I love the family. I am proud of the way he handled himself and how he continues to handle himself.”
Not a day goes by that Bresee does not think about Ella.
“She is with me all the time. Before every game I am talking to her,” he said.
Knowing what Ella had to endure in her last 18 months, and how she handled herself, is what gives Bresee the strength to play. The support he has received from the Clemson community, his teammates and his coaches has also helped him battle though everything.
“Clemson has been tremendous. So, it has definitely helped a lot,” he said. “They were just behind me completely throughout this whole thing. I think like 30 or 40 guys came up to Ella’s funeral. It is a special community and a special team that we have here.
“I think this is, if not the best brotherhood I have ever had on a team, it is definitely up there in the top two.”
It has not just been the Clemson Community that has helped Bresee and his family. Other schools around the country have as well, including archrival South Carolina. Florida State showed their support when the Tigers made the trip to Tallahassee earlier this year. Minnesota Coach P.J. Fleck sent him an orange and purple oar with a note written on it.
Then there were the individual letters the entire Louisiana Tech football team gave Bresee and his family following their game at Clemson on Sept. 17, two days after Ella’s passing.
“I am sure my mom has read every single one. She wanted to bring them home with her. I have not got to look at them yet,” Bresee said.
Playing football has given Bresee a healthy focus. It keeps his mind busy and allows him to focus on something other than how much he misses his sister.
“You are kind of focusing on something else when you are playing and not constantly being in your head about it,” he said. “It is definitely something that can help with it. It is still a tough thing to go through, though.
“It has definitely been a long season with what I have gone through, but just staying positive through it has been super important. You can’t get down and feel down about it. You just have to keep pushing forward to what is next. That helps you keep your head on straight.”
What is next for Bryan Bresee? Is it playing in the NFL or coming back to Clemson for one more season?
The Clemson defensive lineman says he is will not worry about any of that right now. His focus is playing in the Orange Bowl against Tennessee. When the game is over, he plans to sit down with his family and talk about what is in his best interest.
“They have also gone through a lot this year. I am just talking to them and seeing what they think is best,” Bresee said. “Just, all the people around me. I am going to focus on all of their input and do what I think is best for me.”
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