Bryce Steele Earns Comeback Player of the Year Honors
December 17, 2025 | Football
Steele is the first Eagle to ever win the award
CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. -- College Sports Communicators, in conjunction with the Associated Press and the Fiesta Bowl, named linebacker Bryce Steele as one of three winners of college football's 2025 Comeback Player of the Year Award. The Raleigh, N.C. native is the first Eagle to ever win the award.Â
Throughout his career, Steele has overcome several bouts with cancer to return to playing football at Boston College. The redshirt senior was initially diagnosed with cancer as a junior in high school in 2019. Despite missing his junior season, Boston College remained committed to pursuing Steele.Â
After playing in 11 games with one start as a true freshman in 2021, doctors removed cancerous cells that had appeared on routine scans during the offseason. Steele returned to the field just weeks after the operation. The same would be the case after the 2022 season after Steele played in 12 games.Â
In 2023, the cancer aggressively returned and surgery and chemotherapy forced Steele to miss the season. He returned to play in four games in 2024, including a season-high five-tackle performance in the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl vs. Nebraska.
In his fifth season in Chestnut Hill, Steele played in 11 games with two starts in 2025 for the Eagles, totaling 16 tackles, including a career-best seven tackles vs. California on September 27, one fumble recovery, one quarterback hit and one pass breakup. Earlier this month, Steele received the ACC's Brian Piccolo Award given to the most courageous player in the conference. He also received a mid-season nomination for the Capital One Orange Bowl Courage Award.Â
Since 2018, the Comeback Player of the Year Award has recognized college football student-athletes for overcoming injury, illness or other circumstances. At the conclusion of each season, in a vote by a panel of Associated Press college football writers and sports information directors, three college football student-athletes are honored as Comeback Player of the Year Award winners. They will be honored at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Ariz. on January 8, 2026.Â
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Throughout his career, Steele has overcome several bouts with cancer to return to playing football at Boston College. The redshirt senior was initially diagnosed with cancer as a junior in high school in 2019. Despite missing his junior season, Boston College remained committed to pursuing Steele.Â
After playing in 11 games with one start as a true freshman in 2021, doctors removed cancerous cells that had appeared on routine scans during the offseason. Steele returned to the field just weeks after the operation. The same would be the case after the 2022 season after Steele played in 12 games.Â
In 2023, the cancer aggressively returned and surgery and chemotherapy forced Steele to miss the season. He returned to play in four games in 2024, including a season-high five-tackle performance in the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl vs. Nebraska.
In his fifth season in Chestnut Hill, Steele played in 11 games with two starts in 2025 for the Eagles, totaling 16 tackles, including a career-best seven tackles vs. California on September 27, one fumble recovery, one quarterback hit and one pass breakup. Earlier this month, Steele received the ACC's Brian Piccolo Award given to the most courageous player in the conference. He also received a mid-season nomination for the Capital One Orange Bowl Courage Award.Â
Since 2018, the Comeback Player of the Year Award has recognized college football student-athletes for overcoming injury, illness or other circumstances. At the conclusion of each season, in a vote by a panel of Associated Press college football writers and sports information directors, three college football student-athletes are honored as Comeback Player of the Year Award winners. They will be honored at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Ariz. on January 8, 2026.Â
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Players Mentioned
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