Chris Tyree explains switching his jersey number

While most fans see a jersey number as a way to identify players, many competitors see the digit as a sacred marker. Notre Dame wide receiver Chris Tyree doesn’t hold his number with such reverence.

This week, Tyree changed his jersey number for the second time this offseason. In the spring, Tyree changed his number from No. 25 to No. 2 to accommodate his position change from running back to WR. Now, just hours before Notre Dame’s season opener, Tyree will change his numeral once again.

“The primary reason was for punt return reasons,” Tyree said. “I’m the punt returner and there’s two [of the same] numbers on the field at the same time. We actually just realized that earlier this week, so we had to make some changes.”

Specifically, Tyree is changing numbers due to safety DJ Brown, who also wears No. 2 and is on the punt return squad. Nonetheless, Tyree has been successful in the past no matter what digit he carried on his back.

In three seasons at RB, Tyree amassed 1,162 rushing yards and eight touchdowns on 229 carries. He also caught 56 passes for 461 yards and four scores. Obviously, Tyree isn’t a stranger to the receiving game. The 5-foot-9 slot’s hands aren’t the only thing that will look familiar this fall.

“I wore [the No. 4] in high school. I’ve worn it before, so I figured why not change back to it,” Tyree said.

If Tyree performs the same way the last time he wore No. 4, the Fighting Irish will be a happy bunch. Tyree was a four-star in the 2020 recruiting cycle, per On3 Industry Ratings. Further, he was the No. 2 player from Virginia and the eighth-best RB in his class.

Chris Tyree handles his transition like a pro

From all accounts, Tyree is already looking like a star in his new position.

“It was actually a quick, fast transition,” Houston-based private wide receivers and tight ends coach Delfonte Diamond told Blue & Gold. “He understood the route concepts. He understood how to specifically set up a defender, knew how to begin to attack leverage. Teaching him how to avoid the contact, not make the contact. It’s a lot of good traits that he has that made him grasp hold of the information real fast.”

Tyree is seemingly ready and willing to use that information on the field.

“I’ve talked to the coaches here, and I can see myself having a future at this position,” Tyree said. “You can put me all over the place, so the more I can do on the field, the better it is for me in my professional career.”