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Virginia native Chris Tyree and Irish walk-ons Colin Gutzmer, Max Siegel II and Chris Velotta sat for interviews following Notre Dame’s streak-snapping home loss to the Cincinnati Bearcats and ahead of the team’s shot at redemption against the Virginia Tech Hokies.
Cam Hart, Avery Davis and Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa were originally set to meet with the media along with Tyree, but a player vote brought in the walk-ons in their places.
Chris Tyree
On the return to his home state, Tyree said, “Being where I’m from, that’s all you hear is “Virginia Tech Hokies….’ being able to get some firsthand experience of… atmosphere and being in that stadium
Tyree explained the team is working to address the football fundamentals that slipped through the cracks on Notre Dame’s end against the Bearcats and said, “That’s what we have to lean back on,” as the team prepares for the Virginia Tech game.
On the Hokies’ defense, Tyree said, “They’re aggressive. They play really fast. They play hard. We know that… we’re playing against a really good defense, so… can’t take any plays off…”
Colin Gutzmer
Gutzmer explained today’s practice included 20 periods and that he saw about 90 snaps. He went on to say, “Being close to Marcus Freeman is a plus. It’s about being able to be creative and quickly thinking on your feet,” and gave a shoutout for the progress of the Irish O line.
Max Siegel II
Siegel also had a shoutout to share and said, “The entire group has been f*****g amazing. Excuse my words. They’re great. They’re amazing. It’s a great group to work with. Every single day these guys are busting their butts. To see them work, it’s amazing. It’s hard to control my emotions thinking about them because seeing where we’ve come since last spring until now, it’s amazing. I can’t really pick a certain guy, but I’m super proud of this group. These are the guys I came in with when I was younger as a freshman. I’m proud of all of them.”
Chris Velotta
Asked which player has made the most progress, Velotta said, “Everybody’s seen Drew Pyne step into his confidence and really blossom…. Feeling more confident
As for whether or not Pyne is prepared to take on a leadership role in the Virginia Tech game, Velotta just said, “Everybody on the team trusts all three quarterbacks a ton.”
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