Notre Dame just landed its top offensive target left on the board with Chester (Va.) Thomas Dale all-purpose back Chris Tyree announcing his commitment to Notre Dame on Thursday afternoon.
It came down to Alabama, Notre Dame, and Oklahoma, and the Fighting Irish won out for the 5-foot-10, 180-pound four-star prospect. The Notre Dame staff worked hard to land the playmaking running back, and their efforts paid off.
Tyree was inarguably Notre Dame's top running back target on the board, and running backs coach Lance Taylor made it a priority to build a strong relationship with Tyree after being hired a few months ago. Taylor now has another dynamic player for his backfield.
"First off, I would like to thank God for blessing me with amazing abilities," Tyree said during his announcement. "It wouldn't be possible without him. Next, I want to thank my family and close friends for supporting me throughout my life ... I want to thank my coaches and teachers for supporting me throughout this process. It's been a long time coming, but y'all have shown me nothing but love and I really appreciate it.
"Lastly, I appreciate every school who gave me an opportunity to be a part of their program ... I've traveled to many different places and met good people ... I'm truly blessed to say that I've earned 32 division one scholarship offers from schools across the country, but at the end of the day, I can only pick one.
"With that being said, I am honored and blessed to say that I will be continuing my academic and athletic career at the University of Notre Dame."
OFFER LIST: Alabama, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Florida State, Michigan, Mississippi State, Nebraska, Penn State, Stanford, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Maryland, Michigan State, Ohio State, South Carolina, Tennessee, West Virginia, Miami, Duke, Kentucky, North Carolina, Boston College, Georgia Tech, Illinois, Pitt, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest
STATS: Ran for 1,446 yards and 11 rushing touchdowns on just 177 carries (8.2 YPC) as a junior ... Added 23 receptions for 302 yards and a touchdown ... Registered 63 tackles and 30 passes defensed as a junior while playing cornerback ... Has 3,275 career rushing yards and 28 career rushing touchdowns to go with 36 career receptions for 511 yards ... Has three career kick returns for touchdowns, including a pair of 99-yard scores ... Named to the Class 6, Region B first-team offense and first-team defense.
ANALYSIS: "Getting Tyree in this class is huge for Notre Dame. He is everything the staff has been pushing for since Chip Long was hired as the offensive coordinator. Tyree is an explosive athlete, and an argument could be made based on his game film and track times that he's the fastest football player in the country. You add him and Jordan Johnson to the same class and all of a sudden Notre Dame's speed on offense is looking special.
"But Tyree is more than just a speed player. He has excellent vision, he has top-notch foot quickness, he's a smart football player and he's tough. He has over 100 career tackles and over 60 career pass break ups according to MaxPreps, and he's more than willing to put his shoulder down to move the chains. He is the total package at running back, and landing him is a game changer for the Irish staff." - Blue & Gold Illustrated Football Analyst Bryan Driskell
QUOTABLE: “He’s a really great guy," Tyree said of Notre Dame RB coach Lance Taylor. "There’s nothing bad to say about him. It makes me feel comfortable that he’s coached running backs like me in Christian McCaffrey and Bryce Love. That’s good to see."
Notre Dame Commitment List
2020 Commits By Position
1 - Quarterback
1 - Running Back
1 - Wide Receiver
2 - Tight End
1 - Offensive Linemen
4 - Defensive Linemen
0 - Linebacker
0 - Cornerback
0 - Safety
1 - Special Teams
Where Are They From?
1 - Arizona
1 - Connecticut
1 - Colorado
1 - Germany
1 - Hawaii
1 - Illinois
1 - Kentucky
1 - Missouri
1 - New Jersey
1 - Virginia
1 - Washington, DC
----
• 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, @EJHollandBGI and @BGI_DMcKinney
• Like us on Facebook.
