Chester (Va.) Thomas Dale running back and Notre Dame commit Chris Tyree isn’t an overly expressive young man, but he always has a drive to always be better than the person lining up across from him on the field.
“I’m really competitive,” Tyree said. “Whatever I’m doing, I want to be the best at it. No matter if it’s on the classroom, football field, basketball court, track – it doesn’t matter. I just want to be the best whatever it is.”
A part of his competitive nature is probably due to the fact that he has siblings (twin 13-year-old brothers), which is also something that motivates him.
“I’m the oldest,” noted Tyree. “I’m pretty much setting the example. That’s one thing that motivates me – setting an example for my brothers.”
Academics is also a motivator for Tyree. Schoolwork has to be important to students not only to get in to Notre Dame but also to succeed there.
“It’s very important, and my mom is always on me about my grades,” Tyree said. “That’s how it’s been since kindergarten. Academics is big in my family.”
A large part of Tyree’s day [after school] is spent working on improving athletically, but when it’s time to relax, Tyree is all about family.
“It’s mostly just football and track,” he explained. “That keeps me so busy; it’s hard to do anything else. If I’m not doing that, I’m either hanging out with friends or just playing games with my brothers and spending time with my family.”
In the locker room, Tyree is a leader on the Thomas Dale football team. He’s not the most verbal guy, but Tyree takes charge of his team in other ways.
“I lead by example,” Tyree said. “If someone comes up to me and asks me for something, I’m there for them all of the time. I’m just really laid back and quiet; that’s just me.”
During the recruiting process, Tyree held over 30 scholarship offers and ultimately picked Notre Dame over Alabama and Oklahoma.
“It’s definitely been a really great experience, just being able to travel and see places and meet new people,” Tyree explained. “That’s been my favorite part.”
There’s also a wild side of recruiting that Tyree has experienced – on social media. Tyree has nearly 6,000 Twitter followers and over 10,000 followers on Instagram.
“It’s crazy. All of the fans are crazy,” Tyree said. “It’s everywhere; it’s crazy.”
Tyree would hear things from college coaches that would make him raise his eyebrows as well. For example, Tyree noted that Irish offensive coordinator Chip Long told him that “if they can get a guy like me, it would pretty much complete the offense.”
What’s it like to hear that from a college coach?
“It’s definitely crazy,” Tyree answered. “I think about that all of the time.”
Tyree announced his commitment to the Irish on May 23. Rivals.com ranks him as the No. 64 prospect national and the No. 1 all-purpose back in the nation.
----
• Talk about it inside Rockne’s Roundtable
• Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes
• Learn more about our print and digital publication, Blue & Gold Illustrated.
• Follow us on Twitter: @BGINews, @BGI_LouSomogyi, @BGI_CoachD, @Rivals_Singer and @EJHollandBGI.
• Like us on Facebook.
