Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com AUGUST 2019 37 BY MIKE SINGER Notre Dame landed arguably its big- gest prospect of the 2020 class when Chester (Va.) Thomas Dale running back Chris Tyree committed to the Fighting Irish in May. The 5-10, 185-pounder is ranked as the No. 64 prospect in the country by Rivals, and is the nation's No. 22 over- all recruit according to ESPN. Tyree is a dynamic athlete with the ball in his hands and one of the fastest prospects in the country for his age. At The Opening Finals in Frisco, Texas, Tyree ran a blazing 4.37 40-yard dash and also won the Fastest Man Challenge for the second straight year. He bested Ohio State wide receiver commit Julian Fleming in the champi- onship race. Tyree has the best of both worlds when it comes to being an elite run- ning back and having track star speed. "He's always had elite speed," Thomas Dale head coach Kevin Tucker said. "Great change of direction — he's a game breaker whenever he touches the ball. He was one of those guys who can take over a game and really control it. "Over the years, he's continued to grow and not only become an elusive back but also a powerful back." Opposing coaches that have tried to slow down Tyree not only rave about him as a player, but they also have high praise of him as a young man. "From my perspective, he's defi- nitely elusive — that's the No. 1 word I'd like to use," Highland Springs head coach Loren Johnson said. "When he gets an opportunity in a wide-open of- fense like Notre Dame's, you can see a lot of different things from him. "He can stretch the field vertically, but he can also do it horizontally. Catching the ball out of the backfield would be an attribute for him or play- ing the slot — he'd be explosive mak- ing plays for them all over the field." "Chris Tyree the person is an unbe- lievable kid," Hopewell head coach Ricky Irby added. "He has a great family. As a person, I've been very im- pressed with him the past three years as we've played him and when I got to know him at camps and things like that. "He's just a great kid and an unbe- lievable football player." Tyree held over 30 scholarships of- fers, and his final three schools were Alabama, Oklahoma and Notre Dame. While he did take an unofficial visit to Alabama and had interest in the Crim- son Tide, Tyree's recruitment was ul- timately a battle between the Sooners and Fighting Irish. Following an official visit to Okla- homa in April, the Sooners appeared to take the lead in his recruitment. However, the Irish coaching staff did a fantastic job of swaying Tyree back to Notre Dame and reminding him of why it was the leader for him before the trip to Oklahoma. Tyree announced his pledge to Notre Dame at Thomas Dale May 23, and it was televised live on CBS Sports HQ, but weeks before that public proclama- tion he gave the Irish coaches a heads up on that decision and made a "si- lent" commitment. On June 21, Tyree arrived in South Bend for a third time, but this time for an official visit. His father, Richard Tyree, told Blue & Gold Illustrated that his son's commitment to the Fighting Irish is stronger than ever following the visit. "It even more so solidified that this is definitely the place for Chris," the elder Tyree said. "It was definitely a good visit, for him and me and my wife as well." The four-star recruit can't wait to get to Notre Dame next summer and begin his college career. "If football wasn't in the picture and I had to pick a school that would fit the best for me, I think it would be Notre Dame," Tyree said. "They are really prestigious academically, and that's important to my family and me. "I felt really comfortable around the campus and around the people." ✦ FILM ANALYSIS Strengths Chris Tyree has truly elite, game-changing speed … The talented back has won the fastest man com- petition at The Opening Finals in each of the last two seasons, and his 60-meter track times have been the nation's best in his class as both a sophomore and junior … Is more than just a speed back, though, showing top-level foot quickness and good strength for his size … Displays good vision and is willing to put his shoulder down and move the chains when it has to be done. Areas For Improvement Will need to continue adding size to his frame, which should allow him to better handle the physical rigors of playing the running back position … Route running and ability to play in the slot will need to be enhanced. — Bryan Driskell COMMITMENT PROFILE CHRIS TYREE Irish Beat Out Alabama And Oklahoma For Dynamic All-Purpose Back Tyree is listed among the nation's top 64 recruits regardless of position by all three major recruiting services. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM