Bryan Bresee battles back from injury with help from his little sister

Bryan Bresee is excited to see his younger sister Ella, who is battling brain cancer, back in the stands soon.

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Sat Aug 06 07:00:04 GMT-04:00 2022

CLEMSON – Bryan Bresee walked over to where a circle of cameras awaited, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and broke into a big smile. He’s back and he’s happy.

Bresee, the talented rising junior defensive tackle out of Maryland, tore his ACL in the Tigers’ double-overtime loss at NC State last September and missed the rest of the season. He also missed spring practice as he continued his rehab but was cleared for full workouts in June. He hasn’t missed a beat since and was happy to be more than a spectator at Friday’s first fall practice.

“It was really exciting just to be out there with the guys again, doing what I love,” Bresee said. “It was really hard last year, getting injured and not being able to do that and kind of having to watch from afar. So I'm excited to just be back and working with everybody.

“I had surgery in October for a couple of months there. You're in pretty bad shape, just trying to get your hamstring and quad and everything back and extension and all that kind of stuff which you don't think about until it happens. But everything else has been really smooth. After four months I started running, cutting again, all that kind of stuff. So it's been pretty smooth.”

He said watching instead of playing made him realize how fortunate he is to play the game he loves.

“That was my first serious injury ever. So just realizing how lucky I am, honestly, just to be out here and be able to work with these guys and all these great people and just enjoying every moment now,” Bresee said. “You just never know when it's going to be done, so I’m just enjoying every moment with everybody.

“My roommates were very supportive. Everybody here in this building are super supportive and check on you constantly. And my family was a big part of that. Just checking on me daily, people still made me feel included in everything and that really helps.”

He also took a cue from his younger sister, Ella, who is battling an aggressive form of brain cancer.

“She's doing well. She's about to start chemo in (Washington) D.C. and she'll be here for the Furman game, though, so I'm excited for them to be back out in the stands cheering us on,” Bresee said. “It just tells you to keep going. It's my little sister, but also just a little girl who just has so much on her plate right now, so just whatever I'm going through isn't half as bad as what she's going through. So just talking to her, she encourages me all the time. So she's been a huge help.”

Bella made it for head coach Dabo Swinney’s Ladies Clinic last month, and walked to the stage amid thunderous applause from those in attendance.

“I got a little bit emotional. I'm not used to it, but it was super exciting,” Bresee said. “Like I said, just seeing her back out here, their not being here for last season when I started playing and just not seeing them up in the stands, it was tough. My family never misses anything, so it was hard to not have them up there. But her getting back, she loves Clemson, and for her to be back here and just see everybody, all my roommates and teammates, she loves it. So, it was a really good moment.”

Now that he’s back and feeling better than ever, Bresee explained what he wants to work on this August.

“My main thing right now is just becoming a better leader,” he said. “Honestly, just trying to lead this group and lead the defense and becoming more vocal with it. Just teaching the younger guys what I needed to learn when I was younger and just trying to motivate them, because it's really tough going through a camp as a freshman, not having this experience, going against new people.

“In college, everyone is really good, so just trying to motivate younger guys is a big deal for me. And keep them rolling through camp because it can get tough.”