SOUTH BEND — Chris Tyree and his explosive speed will be back at Notre Dame Stadium for Senior Day on Saturday, but the wide receiver/return specialist will be wearing a Virginia uniform instead of a gold helmet.

One of the rare Irish transfers in recent years to face his former team, Tyree ranks third on the Cavaliers with 22 receptions but those have totaled just 124 yards (5.6-yard average). After moving to wideout in 2023 for Notre Dame, Tyree led the Irish with 484 receiving yards, and his 18.6-yard average was first as well.

Tyree, a running back his first three years in South Bend, has three carries for 25 yards but has yet to reach the end zone for the Cavaliers (5-4). The former Virginia high school sprint champion had 17 all-purpose touchdowns during his Notre Dame career, and he totaled 1,161 yards on the ground (5.0-yard average).

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Tyree has returned just one punt for Virginia, but he’s averaging 21.5 yards on eight kickoff returns.

“I really respect Chris as a person, as a football player,” Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman said Monday. “I’m just glad he’s got his Notre Dame degree. He’s a talented football player that we’ll have to account for in the special teams battle and also the offensive phase.”

Notre Dame running back Devyn Ford, the Penn State grad transfer who grew up in Stafford, Va., about 80 miles north of Tyree’s hometown of Chester, has been looking forward to this reunion for months.

“Everyone loves him, man,” Ford said in April. “I still love CT from the crib, you feel me? Way back. That’s not ever going to change. He’s got to do what he’s got to do. Best of luck for him down at UVa. He’s back at the crib, doing what he needs to do.”

Ford, who is questionable this week with a groin injury, is a key member of Notre Dame’s kickoff coverage unit. While he and Tyree never played against each other in high school, they did attend regional showcases together and trained at some of the same facilities in the greater Richmond area.

“We were always linking up,” Ford said. “I watched him growing up, so every time he played one of our rival schools, I’d watch him at Thomas Dale (High School) tear the field up.”

And if Ford gets to run downfield and stop Tyree on a kickoff return this week?

“If I get a chance to be in his ear, I definitely will be in his ear,” he said. “I’m not going to let up. When it’s game on, it’s game time. I’m definitely not going to take it light on him, but obviously between the whistles. After the game, of course, we’re going to be friends. We’re going to chop it up.”

Mike Berardino covers Notre Dame football for the South Bend Tribune and NDInsider.com. Follow him on social media @MikeBerardino.

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Notre Dame football welcomes back Virginia's Chris Tyree after transfer