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Tykevius Chandler (born May 12, 1998) is an American professional football running back and kickoff returner for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Tennessee Volunteers before transferring to the North Carolina Tar Heels.

Early life

Chandler grew up in Nashville, Tennessee and attended Montgomery Bell Academy. He was named Tennessee Mr. Football as a junior and as a senior.

College career

Chandler began his collegiate career at Tennessee. He played at Tennessee from 2017–2020 under head coaches Butch Jones and Jeremy Pruitt.

In the 2018 season, Chandler became the first running back in school history to have a receiving touchdown in three consecutive games. Chandler rushed for 2,046 yards and 13 touchdowns in four seasons at Tennessee. Following the end of his senior season, he entered the NCAA transfer portal.

Chandler committed to transfer to the University of North Carolina and joined the team as a graduate transfer under head coach Mack Brown. He had five games on the season scoring multiple touchdowns, including a 198-yard performance against Virginia and a 213-yard performance against Wake Forest. In the Wake Forest game, he had four rushing touchdowns. In his lone season with the team, he rushed for 1,092 yards and 13 touchdowns on 182 carries and was named second-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference.

Professional career

Chandler was selected by the Minnesota Vikings with 169th overall pick in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL draft. He was placed on injured reserve on October 11, 2022, with a thumb injury. He was activated on December 28. In the Vikings' Week 18 game against the Chicago Bears, he recorded six carries for 20 rushing yards. He appeared in three games in his rookie season.

Chandler began the 2023 season as the second-string running back behind Alexander Mattison. In Week 10 against the New Orleans Saints, he scored his first professional touchdown on a two-yard rush. In Week 15 against the Cincinnati Bengals, Chandler made his first NFL start and rushed for a career–high 132 yards on 23 carries. In the 2023 season, Chandler appeared in all 17 games and started the last four games. He recorded 102 carries for 461 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns.

References

1. Murphy, Michael (November 8, 2016). "Soft-spoken Ty Chandler flips switch on Friday nights". The Tennessean. Retrieved April 29, 2022.
2. Wyatt, Jim (March 5, 2022). "The Road to the NFL Combine Came Through Nashville for Draft Prospects Ty Chandler and Obinna Eze". TennesseeTitans.com. Retrieved April 29, 2022.
3. "Ty Chandler College Stats". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
4. "Tennessee Volunteers Coaches". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
5. Calhoun, Caleb (August 12, 2019). "Tennessee football: Vols must not underuse Ty Chandler like Alvin Kamara". All for Tennessee. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
6. "Ty Chandler Career Game Log". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
7. Wilson, Mike (January 5, 2021). "Tennessee football running back Ty Chandler enters transfer portal". Knoxville News Sentinel. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
8. Gibbs, Simon (March 9, 2022). "Mack Brown takes victory lap on North Carolina success at NFL Combine". On3. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
9. "RB Ty Chandler transferring to North Carolina Tar Heels from Tennessee Volunteers". ESPN.com. Associated Press. January 12, 2021. Retrieved April 29, 2022.
10. "Virginia at North Carolina Box Score, September 18, 2021". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
11. "North Carolina hands Wake Forest first loss behind Ty Chandler's 213 yards, 4 TDs". The Athletic. November 6, 2021. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
12. "Ty Chandler 2021 Game Log". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
13. "Where will Ikem Ekwonu, Sam Howell and other UNC, NC State prospects go in NFL draft?". Raleigh News & Observer. April 27, 2022. Retrieved April 29, 2022.
14. "Ty Chandler Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
15. "2022 Draft Scout Ty Chandler, North Carolina NFL Draft Scout College Football Profile". draftscout.com. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
16. Young, Lindsey (April 30, 2022). "Vikings 2022 NFL Draft Round 5 Recap: Gophers DL Esezi Otomewo & Tar Heels RB Ty Chandler". Vikings.com. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
17. Peters, Craig (October 11, 2022). "Vikings Sign Safety Theo Jackson; Place Ty Chandler on IR". Vikings.com. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
18. "Vikings' Ty Chandler: Activated from injured reserve". CBSSports.com. December 28, 2022. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
19. "Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears - January 8th, 2023". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
20. "Ty Chandler 2022 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
21. "Vikings top Saints 27-19 for 5th straight win on Dobbs' dazzling half, Winston's late INTs". MPR News. Associated Press. November 12, 2023. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
22. Krammer, Andrew (December 16, 2023). "Vikings running back Ty Chandler rushes for 132 yards in first NFL start". Star Tribune. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
23. "Ty Chandler 2023 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 12, 2024.

External links

• Career statistics from NFL.com · ESPN · Yahoo Sports · Pro Football Reference
• Minnesota Vikings bio
• Tennessee Volunteers bio
• North Carolina Tar Heels bio

• 1998 births
• Living people
• American football running backs
• Tennessee Volunteers football players
• North Carolina Tar Heels football players
• Players of American football from Nashville, Tennessee
• Minnesota Vikings players