Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM NOV. 7, 2026 39 GAME PREVIEW: BOSTON COLLEGE Spoken like an outfielder who's spent time calling off teammates to catch fly balls from his center field position. Comella, a product of Xaverian Broth- ers High School in Westwood, Mass., played in three games in his first two seasons with the Boston College base- ball program, but his ball-tracking skills remained sharp on the diamond and on the gridiron. "He does have good range," Boston College head coach Bill O'Brien said in October. "That play that he made in the middle of the field, he's a center fielder. I've actually seen him do that on the baseball field. He's a really good athlete. He's a very versatile player. He can do a lot of different things. We think very highly of Charlie." O'Brien referenced Comella's second interception of Georgia Tech quarter- back Alberto Mendoza in a 49-27 vic- tory for the Eagles in Atlanta. Comella not only made a leaping catch on a pass thrown deep down the seam, but he also returned the interception 47 yards for a touchdown. Comella's ability to register a pick six shouldn't be too surprising. He's also the team's punt returner. However, he picked up more return yards on that interception than he totaled across his first 9 punt returns of his career (34 yards) at that time. Comella's first interception in the Georgia Tech game came on a pass that bounced off the hands of its intended receiver. That's been the story of the season for Comella. Either he's finding the football or the football is finding him. "He's had a really good year," O'Brien said. "Charlie's a really opportunistic player. He's become a good tackler. He's a good cover player. "We always knew he had great skills with the football. He's done a great job. He plays corner for us, but he can play safety, he can play nickel." Through the first seven games of the season, Pro Football Focus assigned 16 receptions for 135 yards and 1 touch- down on the 29 targets thrown to play- ers Comella was tasked with defending. Comella added physicality to his game, which allowed him to tally 30 tackles and 3 tackles for loss in the first seven games. He has shut down screen passes before the pass catcher can get back to the line of scrimmage, and he's made touchdown-saving tackles. "There's been a huge emphasis on tackling," Comella said. "We've done a ton of drills on it. Kind of just being more focused and detailed on tackling has been a big thing for me." Maybe Comella is channeling his fa- ther, former Stanford and NFL fullback Greg Comella, with that physical play. The elder Comella, who spent time with the New York Giants, Tennessee Titans, Houston Texans and Tampa Bay Bucca- neers, wrapped up his NFL career before Charlie was born, but father served as a coach for his son while he was a child. "He's always in my ear giving me 2026 NOTRE DAME SCHEDULE Date Opponent (TV) Result/Time (ET) Sept. 6 vs. Wisconsin* W, 41-13 Sept. 12 Rice W, 52-0 Sept. 19 Michigan State W, 27-10 Sept. 26 at Purdue W, 49-10 Oct. 3 at North Carolina W, 37-26 Oct. 10 Stanford W, 58-7 Oct. 17 at BYU L, 28-24 Oct. 31 vs. Navy^ W, 35-13 Nov. 7 Miami (NBC) 7:30 p.m. Nov. 14 Boston College (NBC) 3:30 p.m. Nov. 21 SMU (NBC) 7:30 p.m. Nov. 28 at Syracuse TBA * at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis. ^ at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. 2026 BOSTON COLLEGE SCHEDULE Date Opponent (TV) Result/Time (ET) Sept. 5 at Cincinnati L, 34-15 Sept. 11 Rutgers W, 28-21 Sept. 19 Maine W, 22-16 Sept. 26 Virginia Tech L, 21-14 Oct. 3 at SMU L, 25-16 Oct. 17 Pittsburgh W, 27-21 Oct. 24 at Georgia Tech W, 49-27 Oct. 31 at Duke L, 47-2 Nov. 7 Florida State (ACCN) 12 p.m. Nov. 14 at Notre Dame (NBC) 3:30 p.m. Nov. 21 Syracuse TBA Nov. 28 at Miami TBA Senior defensive back KP Price had 3 interceptions in the first seven games. PHOTO COURTESY BOSTON COLLEGE ATHLETICS