The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have a roster full of players, and we want to talk about them all. One Foot Down’s player profile series will, once again, take a look at every single one of them, and hopefully we all learn a little bit more about these guys, and Notre Dame’s chances for the upcoming 2021 season.

#25 Chris Tyree, RB

Next up for the Irish is 5’10, 190 RB out of Chester, VA, Chris Tyree. It is easy to forget Tyree is a true sophomore, as he came in so highly touted and made an immediate impact. He had offers from everywhere and was a borderline 5 star, choosing the Irish over Alabama and Oklahoma in the end. He arrived with blazing speed (4.38 laser) and a knack for catching passes out of the backfield. Even with the unknowns heading into the 2020 season, Tyree was poised to make an impact. This impact would have been significantly more if not for the emergence of Kyren Williams.

Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

The duo proved to be dynamic and Tyree was used early on as a kick returner and more of a home run threat in the run game. He finished the year with nearly 500 yards rushing, 4 tds, and a whopping 6.8 yards per carry. He has gotten much stronger in the off season, and looks to be an ever bigger threat running, receiving, and returning in 2021. In case you needed any reminder of the type of explosion Tyree possesses....

The Restaurant That Fits

Jimmy John’s

Pretty simple one here. The dude can absolutely burn. He seems like he would be a classic turkey club guy as well, which IMO Is the undisputed champion of the “classic sandwich” world.

2021 Outlook

Though Tyree will technically be second string, it will be much closer to a 1B situation next to Williams. He will move from more of a gadget/home run back to an every down type of back like we saw out of Williams in 2020. One of the focal points of the offense is going to be figuring out ways to get Tyree the ball in space, many of which will come in 2 back sets. Tommy Rees will force teams to pick their poisons in backfield matchups, ideally leaving Tyree against LBs/safeties in the passing game (we like this matchup). As a result, we will see his pass catching numbers skyrocket.

He will also be trusted more in the passing game in terms of blitz pickup, something which limited him a year ago. Do I think he will surpass 1,000 APY this year? Absolutely. It also goes without saying that he has added lower body strength, which will help his lateral quickness and YAC. I could not be more excited to watch the dynamic combination of Williams and Tyree. Could they be the best duo in recent memory.......? Absolutely. Enjoy the highlights below and as always, GO IRISH