3 Reasons Why Purdue TE George Burhenn Can Win Comeback Player of the Year Award

After missing a majority of the last two seasons because of injuries, Purdue tight end George Burhenn has found his name on college football's Comeback Player of the Year Watch List for 2026.

Burhenn suffered a broken foot in 2024 and a broken arm in 2025. He played in just four games in each of the last two seasons. During fall camp this year, the tight end has said he's "feeling great" and ready to be a major contributor for the Boilermakers this fall.

Winning this award won't be easy, but Burhenn has as good a shot as anyone to receive the honor. Here are a few reasons why the Purdue tight end could receive the honor at the end of the 2026 campaign.

Burhenn has excellent versatility

Purdue Boilermakers tight end George Burhenn (81). | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Through his first three seasons in West Lafayette, Burhenn hasn't had the opportunity to show everything he can do. The most productive game of his career actually came in Purdue's last Big Ten win, a 35-31 victory over Indiana in 2023.

Burhenn ended that game with five catches for 74 yards and a touchdown. Since that game, there has been a lot of hype surrounding the tight end, but he's only played in eight total contests in the past two seasons.

Still, head coach Barry Odom is complimentary of all that Burhenn brings to Purdue's offense. He's a guy who can do just about everything on the football field.

"He can play every spot on the field; any wide receiver position, he can be an in-line tight end, off the ball with the things we like to do," Odom said. "He can create matchups that are in our favor. If we can stay healthy at that spot, and the things he's been through, the resolve he has shown, you would think the football world would allow that to happen."

Purdue is searching for a reliable target in the passing attack, especially in those third-down passing situations. The Boilermakers upgraded at receiver, but they could also get that type of consistency from Burhenn at the tight end spot, especially if he's able to line up as a wide receiver occasionally.

He's TE1 ... and TE2

Purdue Boilermakers tight end George Burhenn (81) is tackled. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

One of the biggest blows Purdue has suffered in fall camp is the loss of UCF transfer Kylan Fox. He was expected to contribute at tight end and serve as Burhenn's running mate at the position. With his injury, the Boilermakers don't have any real experience behind Burhenn at the position.

That likely means that we'll see more of Burhenn during games. He might still have received the lion's share of the snaps when Fox was healthy, but there would have been a little more balance in that rotation.

Burhenn won't play every snap offensively, but he's probably going to carry a heavier workload with Fox out of the picture. That will also create more opportunities for him to make an impact on the offense.

Bigger, stronger and healthy

If there's a silver lining to Burhenn suffering the injury last season, it's that he sustained it early in the season. That allowed the McCordsville native to work through the entire offseason. Burhenn was a participant in spring practice and has been available through summer.

Burhenn is already seeing the benefit of a full offseason.

"Having the offseason before that to get healthy, get stronger, get bigger," Burhenn said. "Getting through spring healthy, and then summer, getting through that healthy, was huge from a development standpoint."

We haven't really seen what Burhenn is capable of doing through an entire season. We've seen flashes, and those have been bright. Now that he's bigger, stronger and healthy, he could be in store for a big season.

Get top Boilermakers stories, expert analysis, and can't-miss moments straight to your inbox for free by signing up for the Purdue Boilermakers on SI newsletter!

Add us as a preferred source on Google