Chris Tyree Adds A Much Needed Speed Dynamic To The Notre Dame Receiving Corps
Notre Dame’s wide receiving corps got a boost this spring when Chris Tyree moved over from running back. One of the best parts about the move is the Fighting Irish didn’t have to use an extra scholarship to boost the receiving corps. They just moved a player from a position of strength (running back) to a position (receiver) that returned five scholarship players and was hurting for explosiveness.
Tyree’s move was being discussed before then offensive coordinator Tommy Rees left for Alabama. The Virginia native bought in and it went forward after Gerard Parker became the new Irish OC.
"They were just asking me if I was open to the position switch,” Tyree recalled of the initial conversations. "Like I said before, anything that my team needs me to do, I'm going to be able to support it no matter what. So I was all for it.”
Tyree joined Jayden Thomas and freshman Jaden Greathouse as a slot receiver this spring, giving the Irish a formidable 1-2 punch with a talented freshman at the position. Thomas and Tyree bring very different skillsets to the game.
"It's great having somebody with that kind of speed,” Thomas said of having Tyree playing with him in the slot. "Also, he can take hits like running back. Using him as a deep threat, you know, his route running is phenomenal too, just as mine is. I think we kind of complement each other, just two different styles I would say of the slot.”
With 25 receptions for 362 yards last fall, Thomas is Notre Dame’s top returning receiver this season. Tyree had 24 receptions for 138 yards as a running back, which makes him the team’s No. 2 returning receiver on the roster. The move to receiver gives him more freedom to use his dynamic speed.
"(I) just have so much fun in space,” Tyree beamed. "You can kind of play with the defenders a little bit because you have so much room to work (as a receiver). I'm starting to learn having a plan in terms of my route running, depending on the coverage. I'm just working with (receivers) coach (Chansi Stuckey), working with Coach Parker and having ways to be creative out in space is pretty fun to be in.”
Stuckey had a checklist of things he and Parker needed to see from Tyree in his transition to receiver during the spring and the rising senior answered all of them.
"Could he play in the slot,” Stuckey noted. "Could he do the things we were asking him to do? Could he play off press? Could he understand coverage? He is miles ahead of what any of us thought. He’s actually pretty natural playing the wide receiver position.”
At 6-1½, Thomas has a much bigger body than Tyree. He is likely to see time in the slot, or “F” receiver position this season, but his big frame and ability to play outside will allow the Irish to have both of them on the field at the same time.
"(Tyree is a) speed guy, was really nifty and (can) take more hits and stuff in the slot,” Thomas said of Tyree. "We just talking to each other like, how you run this route, how I run this route, how to gain more speed and deeper ball slot fades and stuff like that. So, it's pretty cool having somebody like Chris.”
Greathouse made his mark in the spring game with 11 receptions for 118 yards. The early enrollee freshman is part of the slot group as well, but like Thomas, Greathouse’s 6-1, 213-pound frame also gives him positional versatility to play outside.
Tyree’s 56 career receptions for 461 yards in his first three seasons makes him Notre Dame’s active receiving leader heading into the 2023 season. His high-water game was his six-catch, 115-yard performance against Oklahoma State in the Fiesta Bowl at the end of the 2021 season.
"It's not brand new,” Tyree said of catching the ball. "It's not like I haven't played receiving before. It's just learning, having a good feel for being an expert at the position. That's what I'm working on right now.”
The recent addition of Penn State transfer Devyn Ford could make Tyree a full-time receiver this fall. His official roster designation this spring was “RB/WR”, but Ford’s arrival along with incoming freshman Jeremiyah Love gives the Irish five scholarship running backs for the fall roster.
Tyree’s move to receiver coupled with incoming freshman Kaleb Smith will give Notre Dame nine scholarship receivers in the room.
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