I won’t play again: Notre Dame key player has now vow to leave

After Chris Tyree’s departure, Notre Dame Has Several Options to Replace and Reload
Dropping out Chris Tyree hurts, but Notre Dame has a wealth of skilled players who are eager to enter the fray.

With the regular season over the portal and NFL decisions are being made and announced, and Notre Dame will have plenty of players it will need to replace as the Irish look to reload for 2024.

One player that Notre Dame will need to replace is senior wide receiver Chris Tyree, who announced he is entering the transfer portal.

 

Let’s take a look at where things stand as Notre Dame looks to reload at slot receiver, and in the punt return game.

WHAT GOES AWOL
Tyree spent his first three seasons as a running back before switching to wide receiver in 2023. Tyree was the main starter in the slot and spent the majority of his time there, even if he occasionally played outside.

Tyree led the Notre Dame offense in receiving yards this season despite being a rookie at the position, amassing 484 receiving yards on 26 receptions. The Virginia native scored three touchdowns and averaged 18.6 yards per catch.

Tyree had 26 receptions, 10 of which were for gains of at least 20 yards. He also scored touchdowns of 46 and 76 yards. Tyree also scored in the 58-7 victory over Pittsburgh with an 82-yard punt return.

Tyree will clearly need to be replaced in the starting lineup for Notre Dame, but the team will also need to figure out how to replace the explosiveness he provided at the position.

THINGS THAT RETURN
While Tyree’s loss hurts, Notre Dame has a lot of extremely skilled players who are eager to enter the starting lineup. In the bowl game, Notre Dame will also have the opportunity to play two of those choices.

Although Tyree’s backup at first, rookie Jaden Greathouse actually saw more snaps than Tyree in three of the first five games before the rookie sustained a hamstring injury.

Before the injuries started, quarterback Sam Hartman had a soft spot for Greathouse. Throughout the first five games, he caught 12 passes, mostly out of the slot. For the next five games, he did not catch a pass, but Greathouse concluded with a bang.

In the final two games, Greathouse caught four passes for 86 yards, including two touchdowns.

Greathouse can play both inside and outside for Notre Dame, and in the best of circumstances, he can move all over the field the next season. However, he might very well be the team’s best slot option both inside and outside of the bowl game.

Greathouse has strong hands, is more athletic than is frequently acknowledged, and is a shrewd route runner for his age. When he eventually returned to being healthy, we witnessed that in the last two games. Although he doesn’t have Tyree’s raw home run speed, he can still be a reliable big play option when facing nickels, linebackers, and safeties.

Greathouse had a team-high five touchdown receptions at the end of his first-year regular season, finishing with 16 catches for 252 yards (15.8 YPC). In 2024, with a larger role, he might become a major producer.

Jordan Faison was another 2023 freshman who had an influence. The game against Louisville was the Florida native’s debut action, and he went for a 36-yard score in that match.

Tyree and Faison are somewhat similar, but Faison is the better choice if you’re searching for a more obvious style substitute. Although Faison’s 40-meter time may not be as quick as Tyree’s, he accelerates to reach full speed quickly and is a more elusive athlete.

As elusive as he is, Faison is actually the only slot player this season who has demonstrated the ability to make plays after the catch. In the RPO game, he demonstrated the ability to hurt the middle and after the catch in addition to stretching the field. Considering he only participated in half of the team’s games, Faison’s 14 receptions for 207 yards (14.8 YPC) and three touchdowns at the end of his rookie campaign is excellent.

Notre Dame might have an excellent one-two punch next season if Greathouse and Faison are the 1-2 punch in the slot. Tyree would have been a wonderful addition to that combination, but the Irish offense will have a lot of talent at the slot.

KK Smith, another player in the gifted freshmen receiver class, is another player to watch. Smith’s rookie season was cut short due to a shoulder injury, but he is a gifted athlete who, in the event that he recovers, may fight for playing time in the slot and as a punt returner the next year.

Smith has the same ability to bring the ball after the catch as Faison, but he can also cover ground quickly. In the unlikely event that Greathouse is required more as an outside receiver, Smith and Faison battling it out for the slot would not be too shocking.

There are other returners that have the option to play the spot. Although junior Jayden Thomas saw a lot of action in 2022, it’s likely that he will still be required as an outside linebacker in 2024. Rico Flores Jr., another rookie, has the potential to succeed in the slot as well, but like Thomas, he’ll probably be spending most of his time outside.

NEWCOMERS

There are a pair of 2024 commits that could also make an impact in the spring and push for playing time.

After a successful senior season, Logan Saldate, a native of California, is being recruited to play the slot, and his expectations have increased significantly. During his senior year of high school, Saldate caught 58 receptions for 1,104 yards and 14 touchdowns.

Athletes Saldate and Faison are quite similar in that the 2024 commit can stretch the field, be a disruptive route runner, and make big plays after the catch. Saldate truly has superior ball abilities than Faison and is a little bit taller and broader.

North Carolina star Micah Gilbert also had a monster season, hauling in 76 passes for 1,105 yards and 10 touchdowns. Gilbert also made 30 tackles and picked off three passes as a safety for Charlotte Christian.

Gilbert is a bigger bodied athlete, and he looks thicker than his listed size of 205 pounds. He’s a physical pass catcher that could play the position in a very similar fashion to what we saw from Thomas in 2022. Gilbert has more upside at the same age than Thomas showed.

Gilbert can definitely succeed outside, and it is likely that he will begin his career outside. I wasn’t convinced he had what it took to be a primary boundary player when he committed to Notre Dame, but after seeing him as a senior, I had a change of heart. Gilbert can work the difficult areas of the field because of his great power and ball abilities.

If necessary, Gilbert may flourish indoors, but for now, my prediction is that he should begin outside.