Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM SEPT. 16, 2023 17 good traits that he has that made him grasp hold of the information real fast." Tyree said he and Diamond worked mostly on foot placement and releas- ing off the line of scrimmage. Diamond remembers helping him out with his body control, hand-eye coordination and reading coverages while running routes as well. At the time Tyree was there, Diamond was also working with NFL receivers like Texans rookie Tank Dell, two veterans from the Giants, David Sills (now a free agent) and Marcus Johnson, and most notably, the Texans' two-time 1,000- yard receiver Robert Woods. Diamond said Tyree saw the NFL players' skill level and worked to catch up to them. By the end of his time working with Tyree, Diamond had no doubt the con- verted receiver would be more than a rotational player for the Irish. "I'm a firm believer that he's 100 per- cent ready to take that starting role at the No. 1, No. 2 spot, whatever that is," Diamond said. "I'm certain that he's ready for it." That's what reporters have seen so far this season, too. Tyree worked almost exclusively with the first team, along- side junior boundary receiver Jayden Thomas and sophomore field receiver Tobias Merriweather, and he looked good doing it. In his first two games at receiver, splitting reps with freshman Jaden Greathouse in the slot, Tyree made an impact. He caught 3 passes for 36 yards against Navy Aug. 26, and then scored his first touchdown at his new posi- tion with a 24-yard corner route against Tennessee State Sept. 2. He made the transition from receiver to runner at the 4-yard line like it was nothing, and then he dove inside the pylon for six. "It's been fun," Tyree said this of his first two games as a receiver. "It's been really fun. Just being able to work in space, take advantage of my abilities and just continuing to learn, like I said before. Every day, we're trying to reach our full potential." Tyree's younger brothers, Nick and Jon, play receiver a t C h e s te r ( Va . ) Thomas Dale High School. He talks to them all the time, and they told their older brother that when he ran a good route and beat the defense, he'd know. That happened on his 24-yard score. "Knowing when you're open and knowing when you're getting the ball at the top of that route," Tyree said. "It's pretty cool." The senior feels much more natural as a receiver than he did in the spring, crediting Notre Dame wide receivers coach Chansi Stuckey for much of that development. He also spent time work- ing with graduate student quarterback Sam Hartman behind closed doors. In fall camp, Tyree went as far as say- ing he felt "programmed" to play the slot receiver position, and in particular, his footwork has come a long way since he made the position change. "I think if I were to go back and watch my first week at receiver in spring ball, I would be watching like, 'What the world am I doing?'" Tyree said. Nothing had surprised Tyree so far in his move to receiver — and he believes getting a different look every day from the Irish defense will ensure it stays that way throughout the season — and he said he expected to be as far along as he was by the time the Navy game rolled around. Stuckey said his biggest improvement in the past six months had simply been understanding football. "He's so used to seeing everything out front, back there with the quarterback and now a lot of times his back is turned to the defense," Stuckey said. "Under- standing what a nickel was trying to do, [understanding what] a safety's trying to do, recognizing his own man, under- standing the details of a split, what kind of route I'm running, what am I trying to sell?" Going forward, Tyree wants to get better at pre-snap reads. If he gets that down, he said, he'll be able to play fa s te r a n d m o re confidently post- snap. Additionally, he said he can never work too much on getting in and out of his breaks. Re- porters routinely saw Stuckey and the receivers drill- ing that in practice, often with Tyree, as a veteran starter, being first in line. Even though Tyree is no longer in Houston, Diamond said he often got texts from his former pupil throughout August. Tyree asked Diamond about attacking leverage, running specific routes and everything in between. "He's always a student of the game in every aspect," Diamond said. "I'm just excited for the upcoming season, to re- ally see him put everything together." ✦ "Knowing when you're open and knowing when you're getting the ball at the top of that route. It's pretty cool." TYREE Tyree notched 4 receptions for 60 yards in his first two games at receiver, including a 24-yard touch- down against Tennessee State. PHOTO BY JOHN CROTHERS