After competing at nearly every level of college football, Baltimore native and graduate wide receiver Tyrese Chambers is finally living his dream of playing for Maryland as he prepares for the 2023 season.
Chambers will have his first opportunity to wear the Terps uniform and prove himself on April 29, when Maryland holds its annual spring game.
“It definitely is a great opportunity,” Chambers said on Glenn Clark Radio April 20. “I didn’t always have the opportunity to be here doing what I love to do at my dream school. I had to work up every level of college football, probably the only person in the world to play every level of college football … so this is a dream come true for me.”
Chambers, who graduated from Poly in 2018, had to earn his way to Maryland by playing for much smaller programs the past several years. He started his college career at Fort Scott Community College in 2018, then transferred to FCS Sacred Heart in 2019. He then transferred again to Florida International University ahead of the 2021 season to break into the FBS scene.
The 6-foot-1, 195-pound wide receiver had 45 catches for 1,074 yards and nine touchdowns for FIU in 2021, setting the single-season school records for receiving yards and touchdown receptions that year. He posted 51 receptions for 544 yards and four touchdowns in 2022.
Chambers said he was often told to go to more prominent schools, but he did not have any offers from those schools. He mentioned how it was a scary process because many athletes did not make it out of those small schools and to bigger conferences, yet he was determined.
“I just trusted the process, kept my faith and trusted in God and kept working,” Chambers said. “Nothing comes from not doing anything. You’ve got to look yourself in the mirror and you’ve got to do something to get what you want to get where you want to go. You’ve got to work. I just kept my head down and kept grinding, and the doors started to open up for me.”
Chambers will play alongside fourth-year quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa with the Terps this coming season. He said the two have a good relationship and that Tagovailoa has helped him become a better player.
Chambers mentioned one of the many reasons he decided to come to Maryland was because he was going to play with Tagovailoa. Chambers believes catching passes from Tagovailoa this season will give him many opportunities to make plays and hopefully get noticed by NFL teams.
“There are going to be a lot of expectations out of this team this year, and I’m glad to be a part of what’s about to happen,” Chambers said. “I feel like we have a great team, a close unit. And as a receiver, [there is] no better place to be than down here.”
Chambers’ goal is to win a championship with the Terps. Maryland has replaced the team’s uniforms and helmets with the old script design for the 2023 season:
Maryland wore helmets with the Terps script logo when it last won a conference championship in 2001, though those helmets were white instead of red. Chambers said he is honored to return to tradition and wear the older gear.
“Everything about the University of Maryland was a place that I always wanted to be since a child,” Chambers said. “It took me a little while to get here, but once I finally got here and I finally put on a jersey and looked at myself in the mirror, I was like, ‘Dang, I’m finally here. It paid off.’ It’s just a crazy experience. I’m just thankful to be able to do it.”
For more from Chambers, listen to the full interview here:
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Maryland Athletics