CHRIS TYREE
Thomas Dale High School; Chester Va.
Measurements: 5'10”, 185 lbs.Accolades: An Under-Armour All-American, Tyree is a four-star prospect on rivals.com and a five-star on 247sports.com; the former ranks Tyree as the No. 2 running back and No. 43 recruit in the country, while the latter slots him as the best back.
Other Notable Offers: Tyree narrowed his list to Notre Dame, Oklahoma and Alabama before he chose the Irish in May. He also took multiple visits to Penn State and Virginia Tech, not to mention holding offers from Georgia, LSU, Michigan and Ohio State.
Projected Position: Running back, where his sub-4.4 speed can be best utilized. His size will always be a concern, and since he never had to genuinely pass block in high school, developing that skill while undersized will be crucial to his playing time.
Quick Take: There is little praise that cannot be applied to Tyree. If he isn’t the fastest back in the class, it would be a close race. That, along with his ability to spot a hole, makes Tyree the type of prospect coaches dream about.
✍️ ➡️ ☘️@chris_tyree4 is #IrishBouNDXX.#GoIrish pic.twitter.com/wZkuYTe7na
— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) December 18, 2019
Short-Term Roster Outlook: Two facts fit here, not mutually-exclusive facts.
1) Notre Dame will have up to six running backs on the roster next year, not counting utilityman Avery Davis and receiver Braden Lenzy. Tyree will be the youngest and smallest of the bunch.
2) Tyree’s talent demands he touch the ball as a freshman, be it out of the backfield, out of the slot or on returns. With the depth at running back, Tyree should not get more than 10-15 touches, but those should be enough for him to make an impact in 2020.
Long-View Depth Chart Impact: At some point, Tyree should be the lead Irish back, plain and simple. Before then, he needs to put on some weight and develop aspects of his game, but running backs coach Lance Taylor has the track record to expect those things to become realities, not just hopes.
How rare is this talent? To quote from when Tyree signed with Notre Dame ... “In Irish head coach Brian Kelly’s nine recruiting cycles, six backs have signed as four- or five-star prospects; none of them were considered the top running back in their class and none are on the roster currently. Only Greg Bryant, a 2013 five-star and the No. 19 recruit in the country, per rivals.com, rated higher than Tyree.”