Bryan Bresee happy for ACC award but focused on Buckeyes

Bresee was the ACC Rookie Defensive Player of the Year. (Photo courtesy ACC)

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Sat Dec 26 14:20:29 GMT-04:00 2020

Bryan Bresee’s goals heading into the 2020 season were team goals -- not personal. After all, he judges success on what his team accomplishes and pays little attention to the awards and honors received by individuals. However, a big honor came his way last week, catching him totally by surprise.

Bresee was named as the ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year in the ACC. Bresee becomes only the second Clemson player to earn ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year honors since the honor was first awarded in 2007, joining fellow defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence’s selection in 2016. Clemson joins Florida State, Miami and Virginia as the only schools with multiple ACC Defensive Rookies of the Year in the honor’s 14-year history.

Bresee earned first-team All-ACC honors after helping the Tigers (10-1) to their sixth consecutive ACC Football Championship and a No. 2 CFP seed. One of the leading pass rushers on a Clemson squad that ranks second in the nation with 44 quarterback sacks, Bresee has dropped opposing quarterbacks three times. He has recorded one safety while breaking up two passes and forcing one fumble. The Damascus, Maryland native’s blocked field goal in the season opener versus Wake Forest was the Tigers’ first since the 2018 season.

Bresee and the Clemson defense rank ninth nationally in rushing defense (99.8 yards per game) and sixth in total defense (298.5 ypg).

"It was super exciting. Definitely a big accolade to receive,” Bresee said. “It was not a goal I had set, but it was a surprise for me. It was really exciting."

Making the transition from high school to college took time.

“It was definitely a huge transition from high school to college,” Bresee said on the ACC Network’s Packer & Durham Show Wednesday morning. “It is a lot faster. The plays are definitely a lot more complicated. The playbook learning and everything was a lot more complicated and the game is a lot quicker. Getting acclimated to that and just getting used to it took a little bit of time, but I finally got there. It’s just knowledge in general about college football. Learning how to watch film and what to look for and all that kind of stuff has definitely improved for me, and that kind of slows the game down for you. I think that's the main thing I've improved in."

Arriving on campus a year ago helped in Bresee’s development.

“I think it was actually a huge help getting in early before everything kind of shut down (because of COVID),” Bresee said. “Getting in and learning plays and actually getting in school definitely helped me.”

Fellow freshman offensive lineman Myles Murphy also played a role. Murphy finished second in the balloting for the award.

“Myles is a great player,” Bresee said. “Coming here and watching somebody as big as he is, move like he does and just how athletic he is, it is crazy. He has been awesome all year. It is great to play with somebody like him whether it is getting pressure on the quarterback or stopping the run. He is awesome. Yeah it was tough to see (Murphy finish second) that because of how well he played, but it's just people voting. He's going to continue to play well these next couple games and I'm excited to watch him."

Bresee helped the Tigers avenge this season’s only loss in last week’s ACC Championship win over Notre Dame.

"It was a tough loss in South Bend, but the opportunity to get back out there and play really well and do what we need to do, it was awesome,” Bresee said. “To win a championship is always a big deal."

This week, the Tigers are preparing for the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Sugar Bowl next Friday. Due to COVID-19 pandemic precautions, the schedule is more compressed than it has been in the past.

"It's definitely more of a time crunch. Coach Swinney does a great job of giving us time for Christmas and stuff like that and he's cautious of our time,” Bresee said. “But at the same time we have a huge game in front of us. As much as we can, we have to go in there and watch film on our own and get ready for the game in any way we can."