Tyrese Chambers: No Place Like Home

Tyrese Chambers always wanted to be a Maryland Terrapin. 

Growing up in Baltimore and earning First Team All-State honors at Baltimore Polytechnic Institute, Chambers always saw himself a few miles south playing in what is now SECU Stadium. However, life had other plans for Chambers.

Despite his highly successful high school career, Chambers received zero offers out of high school. Consequently, he faced tough decisions about his academic and athletic future.

“I was upset, it definitely hurt,” Chambers recalled. “But you can sit back and complain or you can go out there and get it. And I went out there and I got it.”

Yes, he certainly did.

Chambers began his career at Tyler Junior College for a semester before transferring to Fort Scott Community College in Kansas. He played spring ball in Kansas before leaving for FCS Sacred Heart, where he starred in his redshirt freshman season. After that, it was time for FBS ball as Division I offers finally started to come for Chambers, who initially committed to UTSA before flipping to FIU where he would spend two seasons.

At FIU, Chambers turned himself into a game-changing player, totaling 96 receptions for 1,618 yards and 13 touchdowns while setting FIU single-season records in receiving yards (1,074) & touchdown receptions (nine) in 2021. 

Chambers’ journey has been a windy one, but it’s also one he wouldn’t trade for anything. 

“I learned something about myself at every stop,” Chambers said. “At JUCO I learned how to be thankful and to not take anything for granted, at Sacred Heart I connected with my religious and spiritual side, and FIU gave me the ability to expand my marketing skills and build my brand.”

“Everybody’s journey is different,” he added. “The best part about mine is that I was able to climb up the ladder.”

And now, Chambers has reached the top of that ladder as he will finish his collegiate career at his dream school.

“I always wanted to be here,” Chambers said. “I wanted to be here out of high school. But everything happens for a reason and everyone’s path is different. I’m thankful I went through what I went through because it shaped me into the player and person I am today.”

Aside from being at the school he always saw himself at, Chambers is most excited about being able to be close to his family in Baltimore again. 

He got a small taste of what it will be like to have his family at his games again after the Spring Game—a game where he was named MVP for his two touchdown receptions—and he’s looking forward to having that experience after every home game now. 

“It was great to see them smiling and happy and to walk over to see them in the stands after that game,” Chambers said. “It was hard to do that when I was at Kansas and Florida and all the other places. It was hard for my family to get there. But now my family’s behind me, my city’s behind me and they’re gonna be in the stands to support me.”

And just how many family members is he expecting in the SECU Stadium stands this season? 

“The whole city,” Chambers says with a big smile. 

That smile is something Chambers has had since he was a kid, and it has only grown since he’s been at Maryland. 

“My energy doesn’t go down, it’s always high,” he said. “And why wouldn't it be? This is the best place in the world. It’s my home. I was born here and this is a school I have been looking at since I was a child. I’m just so happy to be here.”

Chambers’ enthusiasm, coupled with his wide array of experiences, has quickly made him popular amongst his teammates and has thrust him into a leadership role even as a new face in the locker room.

“Tyrese has a natural ability as a leader because everything he’s gotten he’s had to earn and work for,” head coach Michael Locksley said. “Those are the types of stories that when he talks to the younger players in the room, they listen.”

“He brings a lot of leadership because he’s been to a lot of places and seen a lot of things,” said fellow graduate student wideout Jeshuan Jones. “He adds a lot of leadership and he’s a great sounding board for everyone, including for me. It’s great to have someone older with me who also brings senior leadership for all the young guys we have in our wide receiver room.” 

“We’re pretty close,” adds fellow transfer Kaden Prather. “We always joke around together and of course were from the same area. He has a great story so I know how ambitious and hungry he is and how thankful he is to be here. It’s definitely good to have an older guy in the locker room. I can always go to him and to Jeshuan whenever I have a question or something is going on. They’re both really good role models.”

Chambers admits he still sometimes gets a little starstruck walking around College Park and taking in the surroundings he always dreamed of. 

However, he isn’t satisfied with just making it to Maryland—he dreams of winning championships in his lone year as a Terp. And there’s no other place he’d rather do it. 

“There’s no better way to finish my career off than by being here at my dream school.”