The start to Tyrese Chambers’ Maryland career was nearly perfect. In the program’s 2023 spring game, the wide receiver’s first chance to play wearing the Terps uniforms, he caught a pair of touchdowns and was named the game’s MVP.
“It’s a dream come true. It’s been my dream school since I was a child and it’s coming to fruition,” the Baltimore native said postgame. “It’s a great opportunity to be out here in front of my hometown.”
The player and program felt like perfect fits. Maryland needed to replace three veteran receivers from 2022 and Chambers, a record-setting wideout for the Panthers and a Baltimore Polytechnic Institute alum, seemed poised to fill that void and boost his profile before entering the NFL Draft.
But Chambers caught just seven passes in six games with the Terps. His decision to leave the program became public Tuesday.
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The receiver told The Banner his departure was because of family-related issues; he declined to specify what they were. He also cited two injuries — turf toe and a hyperextended knee, which he believed would’ve kept him out for the remainder of the season — as a factor in his exit.
“When I came to Maryland, this is [the personal issues were] one of the reasons why I wanted to be close to home ... my main focus is me attending those things. Those are important to me. That’s the things I need to take care of,” he said.
He also said one of the biggest reasons he chose to step away was to start his recovery early and prepare for the NFL Draft.
“Tyrese is one of those great kids that joined our program for a year. He left for personal reasons. He has a few things going on in his life that he felt he needs to take care of,” Maryland coach Michael Locksley said. “We’re in full support of him. Still in school, finishing up classes. Still has access to the academic stuff that we do for him.”
Chambers also expressed displeasure with his role with the Terps but emphasized his departure from the team did not have anything to do with those frustrations.
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He reiterated his positive feelings for Maryland, calling Locksley and wide receivers coach Gunter Brewer “great” and saying he loved playing with his teammates.
“This has nothing to do with why I’m not on the team. ... These two things are absolutely separate entities,” he said.
The role Maryland’s coaching staff wanted for Chambers did not align with what they’d discussed before his commitment, he said. The receiver was buried on the team’s depth chart. He never played 30 snaps in a game, per Pro Football Focus.
“You guys see what’s going on,” he said. “I don’t play very much.”
Chambers caught just two passes for nine yards in the team’s first game, a win over Towson. He initially believed the limited playing time was because the team didn’t want to risk injury against an inferior opponent. He said he had conversations with coaches afterward about getting him more involved in the offense.
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“That didn’t happen,” he said. The 28 snaps he played against the Tigers marked his season high.
His mother, Bre Williams, was more blunt in her assessment.
“He has a lot of fans here and everybody’s wondering where’s Zero [Chambers’ number]? It’s not adding up,” she said, adding that she wishes he “never went there, honestly.”
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