Where is Chris Tyree? Virginia fans are asking

By Jerry Ratcliffe

One of the biggest questions from Virginia’s fan base after the Cavaliers’ 2-0 start is ‘Where’s Chris Tyree?’

Tyree’s arrival was highly anticipated by Wahoo Nation after the fifth-year star, originally from Richmond, transferred to UVA from Notre Dame.

Switching from running back to wide receiver his final year with the Irish, Tyree led the team in receiving with 26 receptions for 484 yards and three touchdowns, and an 18.6 yards-per-catch average, the 15th-best average in the entire country.

Quarterback Anthony Colandrea openly recruited Tyree. Coach Tony Elliott said during August training camp that Tyree was the fastest player he had ever been around and possessed what he termed as “world-class speed.”

Virginia fans had anticipated Tyree playing a major role in the offense, particularly with his background as running back. He stacked up 3,284 all-purpose yards — including 82 receptions — during his Notre Dame career.

Still, he had no receptions in the opening win over Richmond, including a couple of dropped passes, which Elliott attributed to “pressing too hard,” and at Wake last Saturday, he had four catches for 11 yards.

“I think it was good to see the ball in his hands and I think that’s just going to boost his confidence,” Elliott said during his presser on Tuesday afternoon. “A lot of what we have built is to go through that position that [Tyree] is playing.

“Obviously, as he continues to become more comfortable with the system, you’ll see a lot more touches for him, but also you’ve got to go take what the defense gives you, so I don’t want [Anthony Colandrea] to start pressing.”

Elliott said that Tyree has practiced well the past week and again on Tuesday morning.

“Chris is going to get going,” Elliott said. “I anticipate that you’ll see more involvement with him, but what I don’t want is it to just be forced, because then you’re going to miss opportunities and what we need to do is focus on taking what the defense gives us.”