When Boston College baseball got bounced out of the postseason last May, Charlie Comella didn’t have any time to dwell on the disappointment.
Comella hustled to the Atlanta airport, hopped on a 10 p.m. flight to Boston, and arrived home at 3 a.m. Monday.
He was at Fish Field House for football practice three hours later.
“Personally, I would take a couple of days,” said his father, Greg. “It speaks to where his head is at, where his mind is at. He loves to compete.”
Navigating two Division 1 sports is as dizzying as it sounds, but the Wellesley native has a knack for prioritizing whichever season it is.
At the moment, that approach has paid dividends on the football field.
Comella, a redshirt sophomore, is having a breakout season on defense. He earned Atlantic Coast Conference defensive back of the week honors after hauling in two interceptions — one he ran back 47 yards for a pick-6 — in BC’s win over Georgia Tech on the road last Saturday.
His four interceptions have him tied for third in the nation.
“That play that he made in the middle of the field, he’s a center fielder,” BC coach Bill O’Brien said of one of those picks. “I’ve actually seen him do that on a baseball field. He’s a really good athlete. He’s a very versatile player. He can do a lot of different things.”
Yes, Comella’s family owns the local restaurant chain; his official role growing up was “chief tester.”
His paternal grandfather, Gene, played at Boston College. His father excelled at Xaverian alongside Matt Hasselbeck and later at Stanford, then spent seven years in the NFL as a fullback, primarily for the Giants.
Greg stopped playing professionally before Charlie was born, and later became a coach of Charlie’s Pop Warner teams.
“He’s always in my ear and giving me pointers,” Charlie said. “Whatever questions I have, I usually go to him. Growing up, I would fire off questions to him about what it was like. It’s obviously unbelievable that he played.”
Greg Comella often marvels at his son’s athleticism.
“Sometimes I find myself watching him out there thinking, ‘Gosh, I certainly couldn’t do that,’ ” he said.
Comella missed his final high school season at Xaverian with a collarbone injury. Instead, he played a critical role as a de facto assistant coach during the Hawks’ Division 1 Super Bowl run.
His football journey is just half the story.
When then-BC coach Jeff Hafley inquired about Comella’s interest in the Eagles, the family told him that Comella was intrigued by the possibility of playing both football and baseball.
“My question to you is, if you could play both at Boston College, would you do that?” Greg recalls asking Charlie. “He said, ‘Oh, I would do that in a heartbeat.’ ”
Comella redshirted the fall of his freshman season in 2024. He carved out a role primarily on special teams last year, then shifted his focus to baseball and contributed as a reserve on the 2026 team that went 37-23.
This year, with the support of O’Brien, defensive coordinator Ted Roof, cornerbacks coach Jules Montinar, and his teammates, Comella has emerged as one of the most dynamic playmakers on the roster, maximizing his talent as a ballhawk playing cornerback, nickelback, and safety.
“He has the drive,” said his high school football coach, Al Fornaro. “He wants to get better. He studies the game. Right now, Boston College is reaping the benefits, as is he.”
Trevor Hass can be reached at trevor.hass@globe.com. Follow him on X @TrevorHass.