Former Notre Dame wide receiver Chris Tyree commits to Virginia
Former Notre Dame running back and wide receiver Chris Tyree is headed home. Tyree announced on social media Tuesday night that he’ll play his final season of eligibility at Virginia.
The Chester (Va.) Thomas Dale product signed with Notre Dame in the class of 2020 as the nation’s No. 8 running back recruit per the On3 Industry Ranking. At first, it seemed like he’d be one of the Irish’s all-timers at the position. He ran 73 times for 496 yards and 4 touchdowns as a true freshman backing up Kyren Williams.
Tyree was Williams’ No. 2 in 2021, too, when he was struck by a turf toe injury that limited him to 56 carries for 222 yards and 1 score as a sophomore. He finally got right for the Fiesta Bowl, and he caught 6 passes for 115 yards and a touchdown against Oklahoma State. Little did he know that’d be a precursor for what was to come.
Tyree’s pass-catching prowess did not develop as an overnight thing, though. He was the third-wheel in a three-man Notre Dame running back rotation that also featured Audric Estimé and Logan Diggs last year. Diggs got a team-high 165 carries, and Estimé was closely behind with 156. Tyree totaled 100.
Tyree made the switch to wide receiver early in the offseason, long before Diggs entered the transfer portal and left for LSU. And even thereafter, Tyree stayed in the wide receiver room. The position swap paid dividends for the Virginia native. He caught 26 passes for 484 yards and 3 touchdowns in his first full season as a wideout.
It’s not clear what the Cavaliers have in store for Tyree’s future. Many have speculated he might move back to running back for his final year as a college player. He sure looked good enough as a wide receiver at Notre Dame to continue on down that path, however.
Tyree was the second of 11 Notre Dame players to enter the transfer portal in the week or so after the Notre Dame regular season ended with a 56-23 victory over Stanford. He was also the first to announce the program for which he will play in 2024.
Virginia is scheduled to visit Notre Dame on Nov. 16, 2024. As it turns out, Tyree’s Senior Day celebration in a 45-7 Irish victory over Wake Forest this past November might not have been his final time playing at Notre Dame Stadium.
