Notre Dame Football: Chris Tyree is a must-get at Running Back

It is no secret that Chris Tyree out of Virginia is Notre Dame football’s top target at running back. Will the Irish get his commitment?

Chris Tyree, to put it simply, is exactly what Notre Dame football has been lacking at the running back position for over a decade: A star.

Who is the last legitimate star running back Notre Dame had on its roster?

Josh Adams and Dexter Williams come to mind. However, both were the microcosms of great offensive lines. Adams has started to find his way in Philadelphia with the Eagles, and Williams was drafted this year by the Green Bay Packers. However, neither will go down in history like Jerome Bettis, Julius Jones and Autry Denson.

So, how does Notre Dame start to recruit players like them again? Well, ironically, it started with the departure of the latter.

Denson took the head coaching position at Charleston Southern University in January, which left a vacancy at the running back coach position. In stepped Lance Taylor. The former Stanford running back coach has played mentor to some of the best college running backs in recent memory in Christian McCaffrey and Bryce Love and will look to do the same at Notre Dame.

His first target? The aforementioned Chris Tyree.

Hailing from Chester, Virginia, the 4-star (soon to be 5-star) running back is ranked as the top all-purpose back in the nation according to 247sports.com.

Tyree represents everything Notre Dame has lacked at the running back position. Hence why there is so much hype surrounding his name as he narrows down his commitment.

He is shifty, can make you miss, and is deadly  when he gets the ball in space. There is a reason why he is ranked as the No.1 all-purpose back and the 29th overall player in the country.

Tyree has been targeted by some of the biggest programs in the country, which will make it difficult for Notre Dame to sway him to commit to playing in South Bend. Tyree has accrued offers from Alabama, Oklahoma, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, Stanford and more.

What gives Notre Dame the edge over these other monster programs is Lance Taylor. As previously stated, Taylor has coached running backs very similar to Tyree’s skill set and made them absolute superstars at the college and NFL levels.

Autry Denson was a solid running backs coach for Notre Dame, but he decided that he wanted to move on and be the head coach of his own program and it ended up working out great for both parties.

Denson did great with what he was given at Notre Dame but he lacked the ability to pull top-notch recruits like Taylor will. Hopefully the first evidence we see of Taylor’s pull is with Chris Tyree.

Tyree appears as if he has narrowed his decision down to Oklahoma, Alabama and Notre Dame. He took an official visit to Oklahoma in April and also took unofficial visits to Alabama and Notre Dame in March. He has an official visit to Notre Dame scheduled for June, which will be very key in his recruiting process.

The question many people seem to be asking at this point in Tyree’s recruitment is: If Notre Dame manage to land a talent like Tyree, what does it do to the current Notre Dame RB depth chart?

The answer is not a simple one. At the moment, looking forward to the potential 2020 depth chart the Irish boast four very strong running backs in its depth chart that could all do the job if called upon.

Jafar Armstrong is the clear starter, if he decides to come back for his senior season. Coming off of a breakout 2018 season, the dangerous junior will be a key to Notre Dame’s success in 2019.

The 2-4 spots in the depth chart will be filled in some order of Jahmir Smith, Kyren Williams and C’Bo Flemister. It looks as if the backup spot is between Smith and Williams, but only time will tell as the 2019 season nears closer.

So, if Tyree was added to this already solid Notre Dame running backs group in 2020, it is feasible that he could immediately immerse himself possibly into the 2/3 spot on the depth chart. He is such a talent that it will be very difficult for Brian Kelly and Chip Long to keep him off the field.

Moving forward with Tyree, it appears to just be a waiting game for now. Until his official visit to Notre Dame next month, rumors will continue to swirl about where Tyree will play his college ball.

As stated previously, Oklahoma and Alabama will be very difficult to beat, but if Tyree chooses Notre Dame, fans could be looking at potentially one of the best running backs Notre Dame has seen.