Chris Tyree Enters A Crucial Season For Notre Dame

Junior running back Chris Tyree will get a chance to become the lead back at Notre Dame, but will he take advantage

I can still remember the jubilation from much of the Notre Dame fan base when Chris Tyree committed to the Irish over Alabama and Oklahoma. When he averaged 6.8 yards per carry as a true freshman while flashing the elite speed that made him a top prospect fans clamored for more of Tyree.

An injury plagued sophomore season has taken much of the excitement fans had about Tyree away, and he enters a very important seasons for the Irish, and for his career.

Of course, It was speed like this that had Irish fans excited about what future seasons from Tyree would bring.

Tyree's sophomore season didn't go as planned. Terrible offensive line play and a turf toe injury tamped down Tyree's run game production, and the speedy sophomore averaged just 4.0 yards per carry. Tyree is more of a one-cut type of runner, and that's not the kind of back that will thrive behind a line that played as poorly as the Irish line did for much of the 2021 season.

Tyree still showed off his dynamic speed in flashes by ripping of a 96-yard kick return for a score against Wisconsin, hauling in a pass for a 55-yard score against Toledo and outracing the Oklahoma State defense for a 53-yard touchdown reception.

He had a chance to get back on track in the spring but the Virginia native missed a big chunk of it injuries, raising further doubts about his ability to be the leading man in the backfield.

Tyree is now the elder statesman at running back, and his experience plus his ability should give him the first crack at the starting running back role. The depth chart behind him is deep and talented, and Tyree will need to stay healthy, continue improving his game and be a more efficient runner if he wants to grab hold of and hang on to the lead back role.

If Tyree can't grab hold of the main spot now the odds are that he'll never be that player at Notre Dame. 

Of course, if Tyree does grab hold of the starting role the Irish run game is going to be very explosive. A healthy and productive Tyree running behind the 2022 version of the offensive line could be very, very dynamic.

Tyree brings an element to the backfield that is different than his predecessor Kyren Williams. The former Irish standout was a tough runner with impressive agility. Williams was a workhorse ball carrier that did more dirty work as a runner. He would rip off the occasional big run, but Williams was more of a grinder.

Over the last seasons, Williams had 25 carries of at least 10 yards (2021) and 29 carries of at least 10 yards (2020) on 204 and 211 carries, respectively.

In Tyree's one healthy season at Notre Dame (2020) he had 15 carries of at least 10 yards on just 72 total carries. If he stayed on that pace he would have had 42 carries of at least 10 yards on 200 carries.

Notre Dame needs Tyree to be healthy. The offense needs him to be a more efficient runner. The Irish need him to get back to his home run ways.

A healthy Tyree brings an element to the offense that it needs to be a dynamic offense. It's his chance to shine, and if he steps up the Irish offense will be explosive.

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