Transfer Tyrese Chambers promises to bring T.Y. Hilton-type productivity to FIU

Tyrese Chambers could’ve quit when he was essentially homeless, sleeping for two weeks in a laundry room while attending Fort Scott (Kansas) Community College.

Chambers could’ve been distracted by the violence in his hometown of Baltimore, the fourth-most dangerous city in America, according to crime statistics published by CBS News in November.

Fortunately for Chambers, he stayed on the right track, which has led him to the transfer portal and to FIU, where he is one of the football team’s three new wide receivers, joining freshmen Artez Hooker of Orlando and Jay Barry Jr. from Colorado.

“I’m from the 410,” Chambers said of the Baltimore area code. “I grew up in them trenches — East Baltimore, tough neighborhoods.”

Chambers said The Wire, an HBO series that aired from 2002 to 2008 and depicted a lot of gangs and drugs in Baltimore, was an accurate portrayal of life in certain parts of the city.

Raised by a single mother, Brenda Williams, Chambers was inspired to use football as a way out for him, his mom and his two younger sisters, Shaniya and Ayana.

“I’ve seen my mom struggle to pay the bills, move several times, not be able to find a father figure for us,” Chambers said of Williams, who is a chef. “I had to be a better person for my family.

“That’s what drove me to football.”

As a prep senior in 2017, Chambers scored 18 touchdowns and four two-point conversions in nine games for a 3-6 Baltimore Poly team. He also caught 51 passes for 1,175 yards (23.0 average).

But despite those impressive stats, there were no scholarship offers from four-year universities.

“I felt disrespected,” said Chambers, who also played safety and had a 68-yard punt return as a senior. “I gave my all to that school.

“I think because of the violence, not many Baltimore football players get recruited heavily. I don’t think college coaches believe in Baltimore guys.”

Chambers, though, believes in himself, which is why he took the one offer he had, from Fort Scott, which didn’t have a dorm room for him at first.

That’s when Chambers started sleeping in a laundry room.

As it turns out, Chambers never played a down at Fort Scott. When he got an offer from FCS Division I Sacred Heart in Fairfield, Connecticut, Chambers bolted.

Then, in 2019 — his first year of collegiate football — Chambers was an immediate success, grabbing 50 passes for 811 yards (16.2 average) and eight touchdowns.

All those were team highs for Chambers, who was named the Northeast Conference’s Offensive Rookie of the Year. He was also named first-team all-league as well as a finalist for the Jerry Rice Award, given to the nation’s top FCS freshman.

Following that season, Chambers — feeling like he should test himself at the FBS level — entered the transfer portal.

However, Chambers didn’t get a quick call from a college coach.

Undaunted, he kept busy.

“I went back to Baltimore and enrolled at Fort Scott online,” Chambers said. “I started grinding with my trainer. I went to church every Sunday.”

After three months, Chambers’ prayers were answered. He competed in an indoor showcase in Baltimore, and he got an offer from Texas-San Antonio.

Chambers committed to UTSA, but he kept getting offers, 14 of them in all. On his birthday — Oct. 27 — he got an offer from FIU, and he signed with the Panthers in December.

He enrolled in FIU classes on Jan. 8, and he said this will be his final collegiate stop.

“Since I was a kid, I’ve been addicted to palm trees,” said Chambers, who has three years of college eligibility remaining. “Being in this weather makes me feel good. Kids in Baltimore would dream to be in this scenery.”

Chambers doesn’t lack for swagger, comparing himself to ex-Panthers receiver T.Y. Hilton, an NFL standout.

“What T.Y. brought here is what I’m trying to do,” Chambers said. “I’m trying to bring that ‘juice’ back. In Baltimore, we play hyped, and I think FIU is getting a playmaker, [a future] NFL receiver.

“I’m bold enough to say those things. Three years from now, I want you to remember this conversation.”