Purdue tight end George Burhenn has a real case to make for college football’s Comeback Player of the Year Award in 2026, and the reasons start with the simple fact that he’s finally getting a clean run at a season.
Burhenn’s last two years have been wrecked by injuries. He broke his foot in 2024, then broke his arm in 2025, and played in just four games in each of those seasons.
That’s why his spot on the Comeback Player of the Year Watch List feels earned. He’s spent enough time on the sideline.
Now he’s back, and during fall camp he said he’s “feeling great” and ready to be a major contributor for the Boilermakers this fall.
The upside has always been there. In three seasons at West Lafayette, Burhenn simply hasn’t had the chance to put it all together for long stretches.
His best game came in Purdue’s last Big Ten win, a 35-31 victory over Indiana in 2023, when he hauled in five catches for 74 yards and a touchdown. Since then, the buzz around him has only grown, even though he’s appeared in just eight total games over the past two seasons.
Barry Odom sees the full package. The Purdue coach praised Burhenn as a player who can be moved all over the formation and create problems for defenses.
"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."
That versatility matters because Purdue is still looking for a dependable option in the passing game, especially on third downs. The Boilermakers added help at receiver, but Burhenn could be the kind of steady target they need at tight end, particularly if they use him as a wideout at times.
His path to a bigger workload got even clearer in fall camp when UCF transfer Kylan Fox went down. Fox was expected to share the tight end duties and give Burhenn a running mate, but that injury leaves Purdue without much proven depth behind him at the position.
That setup should mean more snaps for Burhenn. He might have been the top option anyway, but with Fox healthy there would have been at least some balance in the rotation. Now, Purdue may have little choice but to lean harder on Burhenn.
He won’t be on the field for every offensive snap, but the workload figures to be heavier, and that gives him more chances to matter.
There’s also a clear silver lining in the timing of last season’s injury. Because it happened early, Burhenn had the entire offseason to recover and reset. He took part in spring practice and stayed available through summer, which has already paid off.
"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."
Purdue still hasn’t seen Burhenn over the course of a full season. What it has seen are flashes, and they’ve been strong. With a bigger frame, more strength, and better health, he’s positioned to finally turn those flashes into something much bigger.
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